In the past few decades Kuwait and Qatar have experienced a radial but apparently smoothly transition from protectorate poverty to petroleum prosperity. Rapid economic and social changes have been accompanied by remarkable political continuity at the apex of their systems. This thesis examines this apparent continuity in ruling regimes. Oil revenues, it argues, preserved continuity only at the very apex of the political system. This continuity was accompanied by the breakdown of the historical ruling coalition binding the amirs and the trading families and its replacement by a new, but ultimately precarious, set of coalitions: first, between the amir and the national population, through social services and direct transfers; second, between the amir and the ruling family, whose political role expanded. These changes were the result of oil: by freeing rulers from the need to extract resources from the population, oil freed them from their historical economic hence political dependence on the merchants, the group which had historically pressed its claims most effectively on the state. Instead a tacit deal developed between the amirs and the trading families: a trade of wealth for formal power. Finally, the thesis argues that these new arrangements are only transitional adaptations. Distributive policies designed to ensure domestic peace have inadvertantly created relatively large and complex state administrations, or distributive states.

The number of oil well fires from the Kuwait Oil Fields (29.5N, 48.0E) set afire by the retreating Iraqi Army during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, has been measurably diminished since the last observation although the smoke plumes were still intact as far south as Qatar. Most of the remaining approximately 300 oil fires are in the two largest fields: Sibirayah, north of Kuwait Bay and the larger Magwas-Burgan-Al Ahmadi field south of Kuwait City.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology and coronary risk factors of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in Oman. Methods: Data were collected through a prospective, multinational, multicentre survey of consecutive patients, hospitalised over a 5-month period in 2007 with a diagnosis of ACS, in Yemen and five Arabian Gulf countries (Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates). Here we present data of Omani patients aged ?20 years who received a provisional diagnosis of ACS and were consequently admitted to 14 different hospitals. Results: There where 1,340 confirmed ACS episodes in 748 men and 592 women (median age 61 years). The overall crude incidence rate of ACS was 338.9 per 100,000 person-years (P-Y). The age-standardised rate (ASR) of ACS was 779 and 674 per 100,000 P-Y for men and women, respectively. The ASR male-to-female rate ratio was highest in the ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) group (2.26, 95% confidence interval ([CI], 1.63 to 3.15) followed by the non-STEMI (NSTEMI) group (1.68, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.21) and unstable angina (0.79, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.99). Unstable angina accounted for 55%, STEMI for 26% and NSTEMI for 19% of ACS cases. Among the coronary risk factors, there was a high prevalence of hypertension (68%), diabetes mellitus (DM) (36%), hyperlipidaemia (63%), and overweight/obesity (65%), with a relatively low rate of current tobacco use (11%). Conclusion: Our study confirms a high incidence of ACS in Omanis and supports the notion that the cardiovascular disease epidemic is also sweeping developing countries. PMID:23573381

Education in the State of Qatar was traditionally limited to the "orthography of the Arabic language." In 1952 Qatar had one elementary school for boys with 240 pupils and 6 teachers. By 1955, an elementary school for girls (n=50) was established. In 1980-81, schooling increased to 71 schools for boys with 20,588 students and 70 schools for girls…

Wastewater reuse is an important element of Kuwait’s water management system because fresh water is scarce and seawater desalination is expensive. Kuwait reuses a significant portion of treated ordinary domestic wastewater, mainly in irrigation of fodder crops and landscapes. Greywater usually represents a major part (50–80%) of domestic wastewater. More importantly, greywater can be treated and reused much more easily

Water security depends on the availability of enough water to meet the demand of all consumption sectors at all times. These conditions are hardly met in water rich countries, as the hydrological cycle is not fully reliable. In arid countries, such as Kuwait, where there is no enough natural fresh water, water security is generally based on enough storage capacity

This case describes the situation surrounding the entrance of Starbucks International Coffee into the Kuwait marketplace. It requires students to consider relevant small business and entrepreneurship issues in determining an appropriate response. These issues include: international joint ventures, culture, gender issues, marketing channels, and cross-cultural management issues.

In 2003, the State of Qatar engaged the RAND-Qatar Policy Institute to assist Qatar University, the nation's first and only public higher education institution, with reform of its major administrative and academic structures, policies, and practices. This monograph summarizes that reform effort, which formally lasted from October 2003 through…

Medical staff at the neonatal outpatient clinic of the Women's Hospital in Doha, Qatar randomly distributed a questionnaire about breast feeding and socioeconomic characteristics to 340 women (53.5% Qataris and 46.5% other Arabic speaking women) from February-August 1988. Only 32% of the mothers exclusively breast fed at birth. This low incidence could be due to excessive advertising by formula manufacturers and the increasing purchasing power of the Qataris. 5l5% used both breast milk and formula. 13% only bottle fed their infants. 50% of the mothers from the below average income group (5000 Qatar Riyals) breast fed their infants, while only 12% of those from the high income group (10,000 Qatar Riyals) did. Further, 55% of the mothers with less than secondary school education exclusively breast fed whereas 25% of those with secondary school and above breast fed. This result confirmed the downward trend for breast feeding in Qatar as identified in the early 1980s. Even though most mothers decided themselves not to breast feed, 31% reported that their physician suggested feeding formula to their infants. The longer infants stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit the less likely their mothers would breast feed them. For example, 72% were breast fed if discharged 1 week after admission while none were breast fed if discharged 3 weeks after admission. The leading reasons for bottle feeding included that the infant was still hungry (634%), night feeding (12%), mother worked (11%), and maternal diseases (5%). Regardless of the reasons for the downward trend in breast feeding in Qatar, public health professionals and health practitioners must begin direct and specific health education efforts about the benefits of breast feeding. PMID:12283357

This paper presents the status of water desalination in Kuwait, and the limitations of current equipment in satisfying the increased water demand. It also gives the reasons for the water problem, and presents a more efficient and rapidly deployable solution for power and desalinated production. Kuwait has a serious water problem that can become a real crisis in the near

This presentation examines the development of the power generation and transmission capacity of the power system of Oman. The topics of the presentation include economic development of Oman; growth of the electricity sector including capacity generation, transmission and distribution and load characteristics; involvement of the private sector; power interconnections and exchanges; privatization; and training.

Limited resources and growing needs for water have triggered a nationwide campaign for water conservation in the Sultanate of Oman. A land and soil survey study of Oman shows the availability of more arable land than present water resources could support. Groundwater is the main source for agricultural production. Overpumping at rates higher than the natural recharge has resulted in

The United States has authorized billions of dollars in arms sales and exports to six Persian Gulf countries-Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, regional tensions and civil conflicts have raised concern...

In this view of the Qatar Peninsula, United Arab Emirates, Persian Gulf, (25.0N, 51.0E) a large oil spill, seen as a large dark toned mass in the water covers much of the surface of the western Persian Gulf. Qatar is one of several of the oil rich United Arab Emirate states. Oil spills and oil pollution of the environment are common occurrances associated with oil tanker loading operations.

Sixty named lunar meteorite stones representing about 24 falls have been found in Oman. In an area of 10.7 × 103 km2 in southern Oman, lunar meteorite areal densities average 1 g km-2. All lunar meteorites from Oman are breccias, although two are dominated by large igneous clasts (a mare basalt and a crystalline impact-melt breccia). Among the meteorites, the range of compositions is large: 9-32% Al2O3, 2.5-21.1% FeO, 0.3-38 ?g g-1 Sm, and <1 to 22.5 ng g-1 Ir. The proportion of nonmare lunar meteorites is higher among those from Oman than those from Antarctica or Africa. Omani lunar meteorites extend the compositional range of lunar rocks as known from the Apollo collection and from lunar meteorites from other continents. Some of the feldspathic meteorites are highly magnesian (high MgO/[MgO + FeO]) compared with most similarly feldspathic Apollo rocks. Two have greater concentrations of incompatible trace elements than all but a few Apollo samples. A few have moderately high abundances of siderophile elements from impacts of iron meteorites on the Moon. All lunar meteorites from Oman are contaminated, to various degrees, with terrestrial Na, K, P, Zn, As, Se, Br, Sr, Sb, Ba, U, carbonates, or sulfates. The contamination is not so great, however, that it seriously compromises the scientific usefulness of the meteorites as samples from randomly distributed locations on the Moon.

Kuwait is an arid country located in the Middle East, with limited access to water resources. Yet water demand per capita is much higher than in other countries in the world, estimated to be around 450 L/capita/day. There ...

Kuwait, weeks after the last oil well fire had been extinguished, shows the region free of the smoke since early February, 1991. The oily smoke plumes from the fires were mostly contained within a few hundred kilometers of the source and extended upward 3-5 km into the atmosphere. The large areas of oily, blackened surfaces around the Al Ahmadi and Al Burquan oil fields show the deposit of particulates and how the appearance of the sands have changed.

This paper is an attempt to sketch a historical, cultural and social background of recent educational developments in Qatar, briefly review the traditions of western liberal arts education with its goals and teaching and learning methodologies, explain its benefits and their relevance to Muslim Qatari students of universities in Education City in…

The emerging role of Kuwait University as a major institution, its position in Kuwait and in the Arab world, and its efforts toward program development and institutional research are discussed. Specific issues in admissions, curriculum emphasis, teaching methods, facilities, staffing, and long-range financial and administrative planning are…

Petroleum production in Middle East countries during 1981 totaled 5,741,096,000 bbl, or an average rate of 15,729,030 BOPD, down 14.9% from 1980. Increases were in Oman, Dubai, and Turkey. Significant decreases occurred in Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Divided Neutral Zone, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. New discoveries were made in Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dhabi.

The Directory of Business Contacts in Kuwait contains lists of Kuwaiti firms that are importers of goods, agents/representatives of foreign firms, and potential customers. Thelists are divided by industry sectors including: Oil and Gas Field Equipment, Po...

Very few arid land cities have been studied to determine local climate effects developing from rapid urban growth in the twentieth century. Kuwait City in the State of Kuwait is examined to determine the significance of urban growth on heating in the region. The study examines recent changes in temperature for the State of Kuwait for the period 1958-1980. During this time period, Kuwait has experienced explosive urban growth from 0.2 million to 1.7 million population. Simple parametric inferential statistics are employed to monthly temperature records from seven locations in and adjacent to Kuwait City. These tests are conducted to determine the connection between urbanization and the development of urban heating effects. The statistical tests employ a national "benchmark" desert site; a rural, agricultural benchmark site in the State of Kuwait; and stations in Bahrain, Eilat, Riyadh, Abadan, and Baghdad. The analysis illustrates that there is only a modest level of urban heating detectable in temperature records from the region of Kuwait. This finding runs counter to prevailing literature on urban climatology, which generally states that urban heating depends strongly on urban extent and population growth. Upon inspection of geographic location and surficial characteristics of Kuwait City, two hypotheses are suggested for the low order urban heating detected: (1) cooling effects of advected Arabian Gulf air across the city, and, (2) the lack of substantive spatial differences of surface albedo, thermal inertia, surface moisture, and aerosol heating. However, Kuwait's morphological (i.e., building geometry) characteristics, according to urban canyon-heat island theory, should have promoted a 7 ^circC heat island in Kuwait City. A test of this theory revealed no such heat island of that magnitude. One major reason relates to station network inadequacy to portray the extent of Kuwait City's heat island development through time. More research, including modeling and field station sampling, is required to examine the nature of this arid land city's effect on local climate.

In this sunglint view of the Arabian Seacoast of Oman (19.0N, 59.0E) an oil slick is highlighted on the water's surface by sunglint lighting conditions. Nearly 50 percent of the oil transported worldwide passes through the Gulf of Oman, en route from the Persian Gulf and numerous ship wakes can be seen in this view. The oil slick, rounding the tip of Cape Ras Al Hadd, has formed a counterclockwise bright spiral indicating the local ocean currents.

Eating epilepsy (EE), where seizures are triggered by eating, is rare and has not been reported in the Gulf region. In EE, the ictal semiology includes partial or generalised seizures. Focal brain changes on imaging, if present, are often confined to the temporal lobe or perisylvian region. Therapeutic options, especially in those patients who are refractory to pharmacotherapy, have not been well-established. We report a series of five patients with EE from Oman, a country located in the eastern part of the Arabian Gulf region, and highlight the usefulness of temporal lobectomy in one patient who had medically-intractable EE. Surgical intervention could be considered as a potential therapeutic option in carefully selected patients with medically-intractable seizures. PMID:23573399

This thesis presents a comprehensive study on the hydrometeorology of Kuwait. The spatial, seasonal, and inter annual variability of Kuwait rainfall is discussed based on rain gauge and satellite datasets. It is found that ...

Invited Review Lunar meteorites from Oman Randy L. KOROTEV Department of Earth and PlanetaryÂ­Sixty named lunar meteorite stones representing about 24 falls have been found in Oman. In an area of 10.7 Â· 103 km2 in southern Oman, lunar meteorite areal densities average 1 g km)2 . All lunar meteorites from

The Oman line, running northward from the Strait of Hormuz separates a continent-continent plate boundary to the northwest (Persian Gulf region) from an ocean-continent plate boundary to the southeast (Gulf of Oman region). A large basement ridge detected on multichannel seismic reflection and gravity profiles to the west of the Oman line is probably a subsurface continuation of the Musandam

BACKGROUND: There is paucity of published data on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seroprevalence among migrant workers entering Middle-East particularly Kuwait. We took advantage of the routine screening of migrants for HIV infection, upon arrival in Kuwait from the areas with high HIV prevalence, to 1) estimate the HIV seroprevalence among migrant workers entering Kuwait and to 2) ascertain if any

Arsenic is ubiquitous in the environment and can accumulate in food via contaminated soil, water or air. It enters the food chain through dry and wet atmospheric deposition. Combustion of oil and coal, use of arsenical fertilizers and pesticides and smelting of ores contributes significantly to the natural background of arsenic in soils and sediments. The metal can be transferred from soil to man through plants. In spite of variation in acute, subacute, and chronic toxic effects to plants and animals, evidence of nutritional essentiality of arsenic for rats, goats, and guinea pigs has been suggested, but has not been confirmed for humans. Adverse toxic effects of arsenic as well as its widespread distribution in the environment raises concern about levels of arsenic in man`s diet. Higher levels of arsenic in the diet can result in a higher accumulation rate. Arsenic levels in marine organisms are influenced by species differences, size of organism, and human activities. Bottom dwellers such as shrimp, crab, and lobster accumulate more arsenic than fish due to their frequent contact with bottom sediments. Shrimp constitute approximately 30% of mean total seafood consumption in Kuwait. This study was designed to determine the accumulation of arsenic in the commercially important jinga shrimp (Metapenaeus affinis) and grooved tiger prawn (Penaeus semisulcatus). 13 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.

Background: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, complications and treatment of brucellosis in the State of Qatar. Methods: The medical records of patients in Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar were reviewed from January 2000 to December 2006. History, various socio-demographic features, clinical and biochemical parameters, therapeutic features, and complications were retrospectively collected from the patient database. Results: Around three quarters of the study population were males. History of raw milk consumption and animal contact were seen in 41.7% and 12.5% respectively. The main presenting features of our cohort were fever, chills and sweating (93.1%, 62.5% and 58.3% respectively). Positive antibody titre (>1:160) was detected in 95.8% and positive blood culture was reported in 63.9% of the cohort. Splenomegaly was observed in 19.4%, hepatomegaly in 15.3% and lymphadenopathy in 9.7% of the cases. Approximately half of our patients were treated with a combination of doxycycline and streptomycine and nearly one quarter received doxycycline and rifampicine combination therapy. Conclusions: Brucellosis is an important public health problem worldwide. It is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It may affect any organ system and can present with a variety of clinical features. Diagnosis of brucellosis requires serological tests with or without blood culture. Treatment with at least two antibiotics for six weeks or more appears to be effective. PMID:25320689

This paper reports that for the sixth consecutive year, Oman should retain its title as the biggest driller in the Middle East in 1991. An accelerated program in 1990 pushed production to an all-time record 700,000 bpd late in the year. Although not a member of Opec, Oman has cooperated with the group in restraining output as needed to support oil prices. Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), a partnership of the government (60%), Royal Dutch Shell (34%), Total (4%) and Partex (2%), remains by far the biggest producer. This year, PDO will begin work on its $500-million effort to boost production from its Lekhwair field from a current 24,000 bpd to 110,000 bpd by 1994. Last year, PDO also drilled 15 horizontal wells, most of which were successful in increasing per well production compared to conventional vertical holes. The horizontal program has been continued this year with two rings.

The Natural History of Oman & Arabia Webpage is provided by the Germany-based Oman Studies Centre, an independent, non-governmental and nonprofit academic institution that facilitates research on Oman. Modest in presentation and content, this specialized Website gathers together published information (citations) and links to Web resources related to the "botany, climate, conservation, ecology, geology, marine biology, meteorology, palaeoclimate and zoology" of the region of Oman and Arabia. Also at the site is a Contact List of scientists with an interest in the Natural History of the region. For students or researchers planning to work in Oman or Arabia, this site will be a helpful resource.

Carbon monoxide due to vehicular traffic is one of the potential hazards in Kuwait. Co-dispersion studies at three business-cum-residential areas of Mansourya, Rabiya and Riqqae have been undertaken. A comparative study of carbon monoxide concentrations due to vehicular traffic in Kuwait has been made by using an analytical dispersion model (IITCO) and the Intersection Midblock Model (IMM). While IITCO has been developed at IIT Delhi, India, the other is an operational model in the U.S. The dispersion parameters are formulated in terms of relevant turbulence quantities during daytime when convective mixing is a dominant feature. Meteorological parameters to be used in the model have been compiled from the meteorological observatory in Kuwait for the months of July, August and September 1986. Model results compare well with observations.

A model for the emission of PM 10 dust has been constructed using the concept of a threshold friction velocity which is dependent on surface roughness. Surface roughness in turn was correlated with geomorphology or soil properties for Kuwait, Iraq, part of Syria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The PM 10 emission algorithm was incorporated into a Lagrangian transport and dispersion model. PM 10 air concentrations were computed from August 1990 through August 1991. The model predicted about the right number of dust events over Kuwait (events occur 18% of the time). The model results agreed quantitatively with measurements at four locations in Saudi Arabia and one in Kuwait for one major dust event (>1000 ?g/m 3). However, for smaller scale dust events (200-1000 ?g/m 3), especially at the coastal sampling locations, the model substantially over-predicted the air concentrations. Part of the over-prediction was attributed to the entrainment of dust-free air by the sea breeze, a flow feature not represented by the large-scale gridded meteorological data fields used in the model computation. Another part of the over-prediction was the model's strong sensitivity to threshold friction velocity and the surface soil texture coefficient (the soil emission factor), and the difficulty in accurately representing these parameters in the model. A comparison of the model predicted PM 10 spatial pattern with the TOMS satellite aerosol index (AI) yielded a spatial pattern covering a major portion of Saudi Arabia that was quite similar to the observed AI pattern.

In this color infrared view of the Kuwait oil fires and offshore oil slick, (29.0N, 48.0E), smoke from the burning oil fields both to the north and south of Kuwait City almost totally obliterates the image. Unburned pools of oil on the ground and oil offshore in the Persian Gulf are reflecting sunlight, much the same way as water does, and appear as white or light toned features. The water borne oil slicks drifted south toward the Arab Emirate States.

Discharge of the Shatt Al-Arab is believed to be a dominating component of the northern Arabian Gulf’s ecology and largely\\u000a responsible for productivity of Kuwait’s fisheries. With major construction of dams on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in\\u000a Turkey, river discharge has been substantially reduced, and flooding essentially eliminated. We attempted to relate river\\u000a flow and shrimp landings indirectly by

Eleven uncommon yeast species that are associated with high mortality rates irrespective of antifungal therapy were isolated from 17/187 (201 episodes) pediatric and elderly patients with fungemia from Qatar. The samples were taken over a 6-year period (January 2004-December 2010). Isolated species included Kluyveromyces marxianus, Lodderomyces elongisporus, Lindnera fabianii, Candida dubliniensis, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Candida intermedia, Pichia kudriavzevii, Yarrowia lipolytica, Clavispora lusitaniae, Candida pararugosa, and Wickerhamomyces anomalus. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry provided correct identifications compared with molecular analysis testing of the same isolates. Low minimal inhibitory concentrations were found when isavuconazole and voriconazole were used for all uncommon yeast species evaluated in this study. Resistance to antifungal drugs was low and remained restricted to a few species. PMID:24934803

Objectives: The attitudes of physicians in Kuwait towards euthanasia were examined. An additional objective was to examine whether physician characteristics such as nationality, qualifications, years of experience and\\/or religion affect their attitude toward euthanasia. A comparison was also made between the experience of physicians who generally treat terminally ill patients and those who generally treat non-terminally ill patients in terms

Sheep and goats sampled in Kuwait during February 2010 were seropositive for bluetongue virus (BTV). BTV isolate KUW2010/02, from 1 of only 2 sheep that also tested positive for BTV by real-time reverse transcription–PCR, caused mild clinical signs in sheep. Nucleotide sequencing identified KUW2010/02 as a novel BTV serotype. PMID:21529403

Political Advertising in Kuwait A Functional Analysis Jasem Alqaseer Abstract: Most political advertising studies focus on the U.S. or other western democracies like the U.K. and other European countries (Kaid, 2006). In general, political advertising studies focused on the content of political advertising

This article addresses the factors that affect students' retention at Kuwait University. Five hundred seventy students participated in the study. A survey of 22 retention factors was designed to measure student perceptions. Students presented their agreement on factors which included: achieving personal aspiration, getting jobs, free-of-charge…

This brief paper is part of a larger research project which examined the historical background of teaching in the Kuwaiti educational system before and after the Gulf War in 1990 in order to propose a new perspective on teacher education in Kuwait, particularly with regard to religious education. The author is interested in whether others have a…

Learning disabilities education in Kuwait grew from Kuwaiti's wholesale importation of the Western, medical model of disability--a model basically incompatible with Kuwaiti culture. Conflicting factors include its problematic normal/abnormal binary, its assumption that the "deficit" is located in the student and the segregation of students by…

This paper examines productivity in manufacturing industries in Kuwait. In particular, labor productivity for each of the industry is estimated and a general reduced-form single equation model is estimated to explain changes in productivity over time. The explanatory factors taken into consideration are quality of labor, capital intensity, acquisition of technology, learning experience, and internal competition. The evidence shows that

Learning disabilities education in Kuwait grew from Kuwaiti’s wholesale importation of the Western, medical model of disability – a model basically incompatible with Kuwaiti culture. Conflicting factors include its problematic normal\\/abnormal binary, its assumption that the ‘deficit’ is located in the student and the segregation of students by label. As proponents of disability studies we investigate whether, and if so

Abstract We have updated the list of the lizard species present in Qatar and produced the first distribution maps based on two field surveys in 2012 and 2013. We used the QND95/Qatar National Grid with a grid of 10 × 10 km squares for mapping. Our results show the occurrence of 21 lizard species in Qatar, from the 15 species indicated in the last biodiversity report conducted in 2004. The most abundant family found in Qatar is Gekkonidae with nine species (Bunopus tuberculatus, Cyrtopodion scabrum, Hemidactylus robustus, H. flaviviridis, H. persicus, Stenodactylus arabicus, S. slevini, S. doriae, Pseudoceramodactylus khobarensis), followed by Lacertidae with four species (Acanthodactylus schmidti, A. opheodurus, Mesalina brevirostris, M. adramitana), Agamidae with three species (Trapelus flavimaculatus, Uromastyx aegyptia, Phrynocephalus arabicus), Scincidae with two species (Scincus mitranus, Trachylepis septemtaeniata), and Varanidae (Varanus griseus), Sphaerodactylidae (Pristurus rupestris) and Trogonophiidae (Diplometopon zarudnyi) with one species each. The species richness fluctuated largely across Qatar between one and eleven species per grid square. We believe that the lizard fauna records in Qatar are still incomplete and that additional studies are required. However, our study here fills a gap concerning lizard biodiversity knowledge in the Gulf Region. PMID:24493961

We have updated the list of the lizard species present in Qatar and produced the first distribution maps based on two field surveys in 2012 and 2013. We used the QND95/Qatar National Grid with a grid of 10 × 10 km squares for mapping. Our results show the occurrence of 21 lizard species in Qatar, from the 15 species indicated in the last biodiversity report conducted in 2004. The most abundant family found in Qatar is Gekkonidae with nine species (Bunopus tuberculatus, Cyrtopodion scabrum, Hemidactylus robustus, H. flaviviridis, H. persicus, Stenodactylus arabicus, S. slevini, S. doriae, Pseudoceramodactylus khobarensis), followed by Lacertidae with four species (Acanthodactylus schmidti, A. opheodurus, Mesalina brevirostris, M. adramitana), Agamidae with three species (Trapelus flavimaculatus, Uromastyx aegyptia, Phrynocephalus arabicus), Scincidae with two species (Scincus mitranus, Trachylepis septemtaeniata), and Varanidae (Varanus griseus), Sphaerodactylidae (Pristurus rupestris) and Trogonophiidae (Diplometopon zarudnyi) with one species each. The species richness fluctuated largely across Qatar between one and eleven species per grid square. We believe that the lizard fauna records in Qatar are still incomplete and that additional studies are required. However, our study here fills a gap concerning lizard biodiversity knowledge in the Gulf Region. PMID:24493961

Oman is an important country for the West, both as an oil exporter and as a key ally strategically placed at the entrance to the Arab Gulf. This book provides an overview of recent economic, social and political developments in Oman. It begins by outlining the historical and geographical background, emphasising in particular the problems of geography and tribalism and the impact of the war against Marxist insurgents in Dhofar. It considers economic developments, both in the oil and non-oil sectors, and Oman's contribution to economic co-operation and integration in the region. It examines strategic developments, particularly Oman's relations with the United States, addressing the key question of how close an alliance between Oman and the US is likely and showing how this is influenced by internal politics in Oman. It also explores educational and cultural issues.

Background Pharmaceutical care practice has been championed as the primary mission of the pharmacy profession, but its implementation has been suboptimal in many developing countries including Kuwait. Pharmacists must have sufficient knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes to practise pharmaceutical care, and barriers in the pharmacy practice model must be overcome before pharmaceutical care can be broadly implemented in a given healthcare system. Objective To investigate hospital pharmacists' attitudes towards pharmaceutical care, perceptions of their preparedness to provide pharmaceutical care, and the barriers to its implementation in Kuwait. Setting Six general hospitals, eight specialized hospitals and seven specialized health centers in Kuwait. Method A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was distributed to all pharmacists working in the governmental hospitals in Kuwait (385 pharmacists). Data were collected via a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics including percentages, medians and means Likert scale rating (standard deviations) were calculated and compared using statistical package for social sciences, version 20. Statistical significance was accepted at a p value of <0.05. Main outcome measure Pharmacists' attitudes towards pharmaceutical care, perceptions of their preparedness to provide pharmaceutical care competencies, and the barriers to its implementation in Kuwait. Results Completed surveys were received from 250 (64.9 %) of the 385 pharmacists. Pharmacists expressed overall positive attitudes towards pharmaceutical care. They felt well prepared to implement the various aspects of pharmaceutical care, with the least preparedness in the administrative/management aspects. Pharmacists with more practice experience expressed significantly more positive attitudes towards pharmaceutical care (p = 0.001) and they felt better prepared to provide pharmaceutical care competencies (p Kuwait advocate implementation of pharmaceutical care while also appreciating the organizational, technical and professional barriers to its widespread adoption. Collaborative efforts between health authorities and educational institutions, and the integration of innovative approaches in pharmacy management and education could overcome these barriers and achieve the transition towards pharmaceutical care practice. PMID:25204259

In descending order of importance, the shrimps Penaeus semisulcatus De Haan, 1844; Metapenaeus affinis (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837); and Parapenaeopsis stylifera (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837) account for over 95% of Kuwait's commercial landings. Throughout its range, P. semisulcatus is nocturnal, but Kuwait trawlers are active 24h a day during season. Historically, all scientific shrimp surveys in Kuwait have been conducted during daylight

Murine typhus occurred in 254 individuals in Kuwait between April and August 1978; 81% of patients were aged between 15 and 44 years, and 63% were male. The highest attack rate occurred among people in the lowest socioeconomic class. The outbreak coincided with a period of high rat and flea density. A study of the first 104 cases suggested that infection was acquired in the home, but a case — control study revealed no significant differences between patients and control subjects in terms of exposure to rats or domestic animals, and other factors. This suggests that murine typhus is hyperendemic rather than epidemic in Kuwait. The disease is being controlled through reduction of both flea and rat populations. Murine typhus may be much more common in many areas than is generally realized, and its status should be re-evaluated regularly in all known and potential foci. PMID:6980739

This article describes and assesses the impact of oil spillage and oil well fires on Kuwait and its surroundings. The marine\\u000a ecology of the Arabian Gulf is shown to be relatively resistant to damage from oil spillage. The risks of the contamination\\u000a of thermal desalination plants by oil and oil products are assessed, and remedies are suggested. Air pollution from

This paper is based on a self-reported juvenile delinquency study conducted among high school students in Kuwait, a rapidly developing Arab speaking Muslim Persian-Gulf country. A group-interview-questionnaire was administered to a sample of 483 male students in grades 10 and 11 enrolled in four high schools located in the four Governerates. Specifically we measured the interrelationship between delinquency and selected

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve our understanding of status-oriented Muslim consumers in Kuwait. More specifically, to study how personality traits such as materialism, susceptibility to social influence and self-monitoring explain status consumption. Design\\/methodology\\/approach – A sample of 433 consumers provided information on their status consumption orientation and the personality traits under study. Respondents expressed their

A detailed view the port facility of Musay'id on the Qatar Peninsula, United Arab Emirates, Persian Gulf (25.0N, 52.5E). Part of a large oil spill seen as a dark toned mass in the water, covering much of the surface of the western Persian Gulf, has moved offshore in this scene. Qatar is one of several of the oil rich United Arab Emirate states. Oil spills and oil pollution of the environment commonly occur in oil tanker operations.

Abstract Engineering education in the Arab Gulf States ((Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman) faces significant challenges as it seeks to meet the demands on the engineering profession in the years to come. Engineering faculty and the young in particular, need to expand their technical knowledge,and develop new competencies,to further their technical professional development. This paper

Martin offers an analysis of disputes along the borders of countries in the Persian Gulf region and a description of the religious, ethnic, and ideological tensions among the peoples. The pros and cons of various options for protecting American interests are outlined. The discussion covers Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, North and South Yemen, Oman, Soudi Arabia, U.A.E., Bahrain, and Qatar.

This study of state university libraries in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates provides information on library organization and analysis of collections, services, staffing, budgeting, expenditures, automation, and information technology. Suggests further research is needed in collections, services and…

The complex issues concerning expansion of higher education in the smaller states bordering the Persian Gulf (Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Oman) are examined, including who provides higher education and why, cultural vs. national identity, the role of mass education, and the difference between growth and development. (MSE)

This study describes and analyzes certain population, labor, and education issues in oil monarchies of the Persian Gulf. The countries profiled are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (also known as the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries). Since the discovery of oil, these countries transformed themselves…

The increasing gap between the supply and demand for water in the Economic and Social Commission of Western Asia (ESCWA) member countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen) can be attributed to the limited availability of surface water, mining of fossil groundwater sources, and water pollution mainly of shallow aquifers,

Engineering education in the Arab Gulf States ((Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman) faces significant challenges as it seeks to meet the demands on the engineering profession in the future. Engineering faculty, the juniors in particular, need to expand their technical knowledge and develop new competencies to further their technical and professional development. The paper explores

A total of 176 English language notations of books, articles, and government publications about education in 11 Arab countries are contained in this bibliography. Drawing from materials published in 1977, the bibliography examines education for all age groups and ability levels in Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,…

This bibliography comprises a list of 236 reviewed children's books about the Middle East. All books were published since 1970 in the United States. For the purpose of this document the countries of the Middle East number 16: Bahrain, Cyprus, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab…

One hundred fifty-four English language annotations of books, articles, and government publications about education in 11 Arab countries are contained in this bibliography. Drawing from materials published in 1976, the bibliography examines education for all age groups and ability levels in Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi…

The six members of the Gulf Co-operation Countries (GCC)--Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates--are facing enormous environmental challenges associated with rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, especially in the last three decades, due to its role as a global hydrocarbon energy centre. None of these…

The Arab countries in the Arabian Gulf area which are members of the Gulf Cooperative Council are now undergoing a unique mass media cooperation. These countries are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Besides a good political relationship between their respective governments, they share the same culture, religion, historical background, language, racial stock, land, environment,

BACKGROUND: Rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) is the most common cause of severe childhood diarrhea worldwide. Objectives were to estimate the burden of RVGE among children less than five years old in the Middle East (Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE, Yemen), North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia) and Turkey. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search

The Gulf countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) have a common external tariff that is unusually low with the exception of selected products such as alcohol and tobacco. As exporters of oil and gas and importers of agricultural products, the GCC is interested in the impacts of tariffs reductions in these products following the eventual

The paper reviews the arguments for and against monetary union among the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council - the United Arab Emirates, the State of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar and the State of Kuwait. Both technical economic arguments and political economy considerations are discussed. I conclude that there

Objective: The aim of this oral health survey was to determine the oral health status and oral health behavior in the whole population in Kuwait. This survey was part of the Kuwait Health Survey, which was conducted by the Ministry of Public Health. The original data were destroyed during the Gulf War (1990\\/1991), but the aim of this report is

Kuwait, as most of the other states located along the Western shores of the Arabian Gulf, relies upon the Gulf as its main drinking water resource via desalination. In case of seawater contamination with blistering chemical warfare agents, traces of the agents and\\/or degradation products in the finished water might pose a serious health hazard. The objective of the present

Objective To illustrate the patient safety culture in Oman as gleaned via 12 indices of patient safety culture derived from the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC) and to compare the average positive response rates in patient safety culture between Oman and the USA, Taiwan, and Lebanon. Methods This was a cross-sectional research study employed to gauge the performance of HSPSC safety indices among health workers representing five secondary and tertiary care hospitals in the northern region of Oman. The participants (n=398) represented different professional designations of hospital staff. Analyses were performed using univariate statistics. Results The overall average positive response rate for the 12 patient safety culture dimensions of the HSPSC survey in Oman was 58%. The indices from HSPSC that were endorsed the highest included ‘organizational learning and continuous improvement’ while conversely, ‘non-punitive response to errors’ was ranked the least. There were no significant differences in average positive response rates between Oman and the United States (58% vs. 61%; p=0.666), Taiwan (58% vs. 64%; p=0.386), and Lebanon (58% vs. 61%; p=0.666). Conclusion This study provides the first empirical study on patient safety culture in Oman which is similar to those rates reported elsewhere. It highlights the specific strengths and weaknesses which may stem from the specific milieu prevailing in Oman. PMID:25170407

The Kuwait National Seismic Network (KNSN) began operation in 1997 and consists of nine three-component stations (eight short-period and one broadband) and is operated by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. Although the region is largely believed to be aseismic, considerable local seismicity is recorded by KNSN. Seismic events in Kuwait are clustered in two main groups, one in the south and another in the north. The KNSN station distribution is able to capture the southern cluster within the footprint of the network but the northern cluster is poorly covered. Events tend to occur at depths ranging from the free surface to about 20 km. Events in the northern cluster tend to be deeper than those in south, however this might be an artifact of the station coverage. We analyzed KNSN recordings of nearly 200 local events to improve understanding of seismic events and crustal structure in Kuwait, performing several analyses with increasing complexity. First, we obtained an optimized one-dimensional (1D) velocity model for the entire region using the reported KNSN arrival times and routine locations. The resulting model is consistent with a recently obtained model from the joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave group velocities. Crustal structure is capped by the thick ({approx} 7 km) sedimentary rocks of the Arabian Platform underlain by normal velocities for stable continental crust. Our new model has a crustal thickness of 44 km, constrained by an independent study of receiver functions and surface wave group velocities by Pasyanos et al (2006). Locations and depths of events after relocation with the new model are broadly consistent with those reported by KISR, although a few events move more than a few kilometers. We then used a double-difference tomography technique (tomoDD) to jointly locate the events and estimate three-dimensional (3D) velocity structure. TomoDD is based on hypoDD relocation algorithm and it makes use of both absolute and relative arrival times. We obtained {approx}1500 absolute P and S arrival times and {approx}3200 P and S wave arrival time differences. Event locations do not change greatly when 3D velocity structure is included. Three-dimensional velocity structure, where resolvable, does not differ greatly from our optimized 1D model, indicating that the improved 1D model is adequate for routine event location. Finally, we calculated moment magnitudes, MW, for nearly 155 events using the coda magnitude technique of Mayeda et al., (2003). The fact that most of the relocated events occur below the known sedimentary structures extending to 7 km suggests that they are tectonic in origin. Shallow events within the sedimentary crust in the (southern) Minagish region may be related to oil field activities, although the current study cannot unambiguously determine the source of current seismicity in Kuwait. The improved velocity model reduces the scatter of travel time residuals relative to the locations reported in the KNSN bulletin and may be used for ground motion prediction and hazard estimate studies in Kuwait.

This paper examines the adoption of free wireless internet parks (iPark) by Qatari citizens as means of accessing electronic services from public parks. The Qatar government has launched the iPark concept with a view of providing free internet access for all citizens while enjoying the outdoors. By offering free wireless Internet access, the Qatari government encourages its citizen's to actively

Rapid urbanization and motorization around the world presents challenges to various countries, cities, and individual citizens. While the struggle in the Western world focuses on the battle with automobiles and their dominance in all aspects of daily lives, the developing countries in the Gulf, such as Qatar, face the dilemma of serving tremendous growth in the travel demand constrained by

Kuwait, situated in the north-west corner of the Arabian Gulf, has an arid climate with very hot dry summers and mild winters. Sandstorms are a regular climatic feature, occurring most frequently in summer. Before the mid-1950s allergy was not considered to be a problem. Since then it has become a major cause of morbidity; 18% of the population are reported to suffer from its manifestations. Over the past 3 years 1000 asthmatic patients attending a central clinic have been carefully studied. The present paper analyses various aspects of the asthmatic condition in this desert country. PMID:6509766

Petroleum production in Middle East countries in 1979 totaled 7,779,619,000 bbl at an average rate of 21,314,024 b/d, up 0.4% from 1978. Principal increases were in Iraq, Kuwait, Divided Neutral Zone, and Saudi Arabia. Significant new discoveries were made in Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Abu Dhabi. New areas were explored in Oman, Syria, offshore South Yemen, Dubai, and Qatar.

This paper investigates the incidence of dyslexia among young offenders in Kuwait. A total of 91 children/young adults from 8 juvenile delinquent welfare centres across Kuwait were interviewed and tested. A measure of non-verbal reasoning ability was used to exclude those with low general ability. The remaining 53 participants were tested on their ability to identify alliteration and rhyme, retain and manipulate sequences of digit and letter names, decode novel letter strings and identify words within letter chains. Participants' reading accuracy, rate of reading, reading comprehension and ability to spell correctly dictated text were also assessed. These measures were used to determine those with indicators of dyslexia. The results indicated that the percentage of individuals presenting evidence of dyslexia was much larger (greater than 20%) in this population of young offenders than would be expected based on the national average (around 6%) of dyslexics in Kuwait derived from a nationwide study (A survey study of dyslexia in Kuwait, Kuwait Dyslexia Association: Kuwait City; 2002). These findings replicate previous evidence for an increased frequency of dyslexia among young offenders. The implications of such findings are discussed in terms of dyslexia awareness, socio-cultural factors, education and intervention, particularly in Kuwait juvenile delinquent welfare centres. PMID:18433005

In March 1993, the Governments of the Sultanate of Oman and India executed a Memorandum of Understanding for a long term Gas Supply Contract to transport natural gas from Oman to India by pipeline. A feasibility study was undertaken to determine if such a pipeline was technically achievable and economically attractive. Work was initiated with a consortium of internationally recognized major design and construction firms, as well as with consultants knowledgeable in gas supply and demand in the region. Alternative gas supply volumes as well as two distinct pipeline routes were analyzed in significant detail. As a result of this work, it was concluded that a pipeline crossing, taking a direct route from Oman to India, is economically and technically feasible. In September, 1994, the Agreement on Principal Terms for supply of gas to India from Oman was agreed by the respective governmental authorities. The project and its status are described.

Objective To test the effectiveness of a simple educational intervention to encourage households to return unwanted medicines via a\\u000a municipal collection program and to investigate the most common sources and types of unwanted medicines in the home.\\u000a \\u000a \\u000a \\u000a Setting Households in Kuwait City, Kuwait.\\u000a \\u000a \\u000a \\u000a Method A convenience sample of 200 households in Kuwait received an educational letter and special plastic bags in which to

A laboratory investigation of the compatibility of the Kuwait Group aquifer of Kuwait with desalinated seawater and reverse osmosis processed treated wastewater was carried out in anticipation of the artificial recharge of the aquifer in future. Even with the use of wax coating and freezing with liquid nitrogen, no core plugs could be extracted from the unconsolidated sections, and only the consolidated to semi-consolidated sections could be studied. The aquifer consists of silty and gravelly sand, and is often highly calcareous. The clay minerals present in the aquifer mostly belong to the montmorillonite and illite groups, with some palygorskite. Mercury injection porosimetry experiments on core plugs from the more cemented parts of the aquifer suggest that, to avoid significant clogging from suspended solids, particles down to a diameter of 8 ?m should be filtered out of the injection water. Core flow experiments suggest that, for the samples examined, loss of permeability due to clay swelling is not very important. The blocking of pore throats by moving fines may be a more serious problem during injection. The geochemical simulation indicates that the possibility of scale formation when the injection waters come in contact with the Kuwait Group formation water is remote. Rather, there is a possibility of dissolution of carbonate minerals in the aquifer in contact with the injection waters.

The Building and Energy Technologies Department (BET) of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research has pledged to achieve 10% reduction in buildings energy consumption by the year 2005. Working in line with the Kuwaiti government that highly...

This thesis considers several options for improving the sustainability of Kuwait's water supply system. The country currently relies heavily on desalination and brackish groundwater extraction. The options considered for ...

Jebel Madar is a 500-m high mountain rising in the desert at the Oman Foothills. The Jebel consists of Triassic to Cretaceous carbonate host rocks forming the carapace of a salt dome. Halokinesis caused major fracturing and faulting at Jebel Madar, and the resulting structures acted as the main pathways for fluids that generated diagenetic cements composed of both barite and calcite. The spatial distribution of calcite and barite occurrences shows that calcite is formed in large abundance along the three main faults, whereas barite is more concentrated along faults further away from the three main ones. The stable carbon and oxygen isotope composition of calcite and fluid inclusion data from both calcite and barite show a distinct evolution of the fluid with a highly saline component towards more mixing with meteoric water. This is in agreement with clumped isotopes data on calcite cements indicating an evolution towards lower temperatures, consistent with doming of the Jebel and greater input of lower-temperature descending meteoric fluids. Here, we present sulphur and oxygen isotopic data on barite that suggest a link between the barite formation and the Precambrian salt underlying Jebel Madar. The average ?34S measured in barite is 33‰ CDT (1? = 5‰; n = 33), which falls at the lower end of the ?34S range reported for the Ara Group anhydrite. The average ?18O in the same barite samples is 23‰ VSMOW (1? = 2‰; n = 33). Data from the barite will be compared with sulphur isotopes from the carbonate-associate sulfate in the calcite cements. The overall goal of our research is to gain a better insight in the formation process of barite and calcite in Jebel Madar and its link with salt tectonics. We would like to acknowledge the financial support of QCCSRC (funded jointly by Qatar Petroleum, Shell and the Qatar Science & Technology Park) and the GSA Laubach fund for this study.

Background Medical students routinely have triggers, notably stress and irregular sleep, which are typically associated with migraine. We hypothesized that they may be at higher risk to manifest migraine. We aimed to determine the prevalence of migraine among medical students in Kuwait University. Methods This is cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. Participants who had two or more headaches in the last 3 months were subjected to two preliminary questions and participants with at least one positive response were asked to perform the validated Identification of Migraine (ID Migraine™) test. Frequency of headache per month and its severity were also reported. Results Migraine headache was suggested in 27.9% subjects based on ID-Migraine™. Migraine prevalence (35.5% and 44%, versus 31.1%, 25%, 21.1%, 14.8%, 26.5%, p?0.000), frequency (5.55?+?1.34 and 7.23?+?1.27, versus 3.77?±?0.99, 2.88?±?0.85, 3.07?±?0.96, 2.75?±?0.75, 4.06?±?1.66, p?0.000); and severity of headache (59.1% and 68.2%, versus 28.3%,8.3%, 6.7%,16.7%, p?0.000; were significantly increased among students in the last 2 years compared to first five years of their study. Stress 43 (24.9%), irregular sleep 36 (20.8%), and substantial reading tasks 32 (18.5%), were the most common triggering factors cited by the students. Conclusion The prevalence of migraine is higher among medical students in Kuwait University compared to other published studies. The migraine prevalence, frequency and headache severity, all increased in the final two years of education. PMID:24886258

A mosaic of two Landsat thematic mapper images acquired May 30, 1991, reveals a dark smoke plume 30-60 km wide extending hundreds of kilometers south of Kuwait City along the Persian Gulf. Smoke coming from the Raudhatain and Sabriyah oil fields blew across the Gulf of Kuwait and over Kuwait City, joined with smoke from the Greater Burgan and Minagish fields, and continued southward over smaller villages and regions of desert agriculture consisting of hundreds of axially irrigated fields in both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. One agricultural region in Kuwait was completely obscured by the smoke. The light colored limestone gravel and sand surface was darkened by oil lakes near the wells, and by oil drizzling out of the plume downwind of the wells. Most fires produced either a light or dark plume, and the separate plumes mixed to form a combined plume much darker than the land surface, but slightly more reflective than the Gulf waters. A few of the hottest fires had no visible plume, and are presumably associated with methane combustion. The last of the Kuwait fires was reportedly extinguished in November of 1991. Continued monitoring is needed to assess the impact of emissions from both burning and nonburning oil wells on the region's climate, as well as on the agriculture, fishing, and other activities essential to life in the region.

Objectives The study objectives were to investigate Qatar pharmacy students’ attitudes toward pharmaceutical care (PC), to identify the factors that influence their attitudes, and to recognize their perceived barriers for PC provision. Methods A cross-sectional and online survey of Qatar pharmacy students was conducted. Results Over 4 weeks, 46 surveys were submitted (88% response rate). All respondents agreed that the pharmacist’s primary responsibility is to prevent and resolve medication therapy problems. Most respondents believed that PC provision is professionally rewarding and that all pharmacists should provide PC (93% and 91% of respondents, respectively). Highly perceived barriers for PC provision included lack of access to patient information (76%), inadequate drug information sources (55%), and time constraints (53%). Professional year and practical experience duration were inversely significantly associated with four and five statements, respectively, out of the 13 Standard Pharmaceutical Care Attitudes Survey statements, including the statements related to the value of PC, and its benefit in improving patient health and pharmacy practitioners’ careers. Conclusion Qatar pharmacy students had positive attitudes toward PC. Efforts should be exerted to overcome their perceived barriers. PMID:24591836

MEHRI AND HOBYOT SPOKEN IN OMAN AND YEMEN Marie-Claude SIMEONE-SENELLE (CNRS. France) simeone@vjf.cnrs.fr INTRODUCTION In the South of the Arabian Peninsula in the Sultanate of Oman and in the Republic of the Yemen in the Yemenite islands of Soqora, `Abd-el-Kri and Sama, all others are spoken in Oman. The six MSAL within

Oman will soon be producing three times more college graduates than there are jobs available in the country each year, forcing graduates to seek employment outside of Oman. Their success in securing and holding employment will be based more on training and performance than might be the case if they were working in Oman. If graduates find that the…

Petroleum production in Middle East countries during 1985 totaled 3,837,580,000 bbl (an average rate of 10,513,917 BOPD), down 2.2% from the revised 1984 total of 3,924,034,000 bbl. Iran, Iraq, Dubai, Oman, and Syria had significant increases; Kuwait, Kuwait-Saudi Arabia Divided Neutral Zone, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar had significant decreases. New fields went on production in Iraq, Abu Dhabi, Oman, and Syria. In North Yemen, the first ever oil production in that country was nearing the start-up stage at year end. 9 figures, 9 tables.

Super Cyclone Gonu is the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea. Gonu caused coastal damage due to storm surge and storm wave impact as well as wadi flooding. High water marks, overland flow depths, and inundation distances were measured in the coastal flood zones along the Gulf of Oman from 1 to 4 August 2007. The high water marks peaked at Ras al-Hadd at the eastern tip of Oman exceeding 5 m. The storm surge of Gonu is modeled using the Advanced Circulation Model (ADCIRC). The multi-hazard aspect is analyzed by comparing observations from Cyclone Gonu with the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

Qaharir Field is located in the southern part of the Sultanate of Oman. Like several fields in South Oman, it produces a light oil with very little solution gas. Qaharir Field contains a large depletion reservoir and several natural water drive reservoirs. There is, therefore, a large variation in the primary recovery efficiencies. A recent petroleum engineering review of this field determined the reservoir drive mechanisms and provided a basis for further development plans. This review of Qaharir Field demonstrates the application of conventional reservoir engineering tools to gain an understanding of the reservoir in sufficient detail to select and plan the next development objectives.

Recent data have suggested that despite massive outlays on educational reform Qatar consistently ranks as one of the least academically proficient countries in key areas of literacy. Of the seventy-four countries that participated in PISA 2009 Qatar ranked between sixty-seven and sixty-nine in mathematics, reading and science literacy. Although…

The leadership of Qatar has a social and political vision that calls for improving the outcomes of the Qatari K-12 education system. With this vision in mind, the leadership asked RAND to examine Qatar's K-12 education system, to recommend options for building a world-class system, and, subsequently, to develop the chosen option and support its…

Kuwait sea surface temperature (SST) and water clarity are important water characteristics that influence the entire Kuwait coastal ecosystem. The spatial and temporal distributions of these important water characteristics should be well understood to obtain a better knowledge about this productive coastal environment. The aim of this project was therefore to study the spatial and temporal distributions of: Kuwait SST

Al-Atraf is one of the water well fields of Kuwait supplying Kuwait City with the brackish groundwater obtained from the Kuwait Group aquifer of Miocene–Pleistocene age. The study determined the hydrogeological and hydrochemical characteristics of the groundwater in order to identify the major chemical processes that influence the groundwater quality of the study area. The results of the aquifer test

Kuwait has a cosmopolitan population of 1.7 million, mostly Arabs. This population is a mosaic of large and small minorities representing most Arab communities. In general, Kuwait's population is characterized by a rapid rate of growth, large family size, high rates of consanguineous marriages within the Arab communities with low frequency of intermarriage between them, and the presence of genetic isolates and semi-isolates in some extended families and Bedouin tribes. Genetic services have been available in Kuwait for over a decade. During this time it has become clear that Arabs have a high frequency of genetic disorders, and in particular autosomal recessive traits. Their pattern is unique and some disorders are relatively common. Examples are Bardet-Biedl and Meckel syndromes, phenylketonuria, and familial Mediterranean fever. A relatively large number of new syndromes and variants have been delineated in Kuwait's population, many being the result of homozygosity for autosomal recessive genes that occurred because of inbreeding. Some of these syndromes have subsequently been found in other parts of the world, negating the concept of the private syndrome. This paper provides an overview of autosomal recessive disorders among the Arabs in Kuwait from a personal perspective and published studies, and highlights the need for genetic services in Arab countries with the goal of prevention and treatment of genetic disorders. PMID:8014972

The object of this dissertation is to record and analyze the foreign policy of the Sultanate of Oman from the early twentieth century until 2004. It challenges the central assumption of the contemporary scholarship on the subject that Muscat's modern foreign policy begins in 1970. It is often presumed that the pre-1970 era does not merit a thorough investigation to

Additional production in the north oil fields of Oman created the need for a new pipeline system to expand and replace the present system. The system created to handle the increased crude production consisted of 51 miles of 28 in. 25 miles of 30 in., and 56 miles of 42 in. pipelines. Pipe specifications and welding details for constructing the pipeline are presented.

Data from hydrographic transects made in 2001 and 2002 and between 2007 and 2009 were obtained from the Oman Ministry of Fisheries Wealth. Property-depth plots of temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen were produced for all transects and in all months for which data were available. These were analyzed for temporal and spatial variability. For all transects, there exist large variability

This study investigated the career paths of 625 university graduates who prepared to be secondary school teachers in Oman, their assessment of their current work situation, and the extent to which their initial commitment to teaching was related to their subsequent career satisfaction and intention to remain in teaching. While nearly all graduates…

In the early 1980s, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the Virology Unit of the Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Kuwait University, Kuwait, a collaborating centre for AIDS for the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO), recognizing it to be in compliance with WHO guidelines. In this centre, research integral to the efforts of WHO to combat AIDS is conducted. In addition to annual workshops and symposia, the centre is constantly updating and renewing its facilities and capabilities in keeping with current and latest advances in virology. As an example of the activities of the centre, the HIV-1 RNA viral load in plasma samples of HIV-1 patients is determined by real-time PCR using the AmpliPrep TaqMan HIV-1 test v2.0. HIV-1 drug resistance is determined by sequencing the reverse transcriptase and protease regions on the HIV-1 pol gene, using the TRUGENE HIV-1 Genotyping Assay on the OpenGene® DNA Sequencing System. HIV-1 subtypes are determined by sequencing the reverse transcriptase and protease regions on the HIV-1 pol gene using the genotyping assays described above. A fundamental program of Kuwait's WHO AIDS collaboration centre is the national project on the surveillance of drug resistance in human deficiency virus in Kuwait, which illustrates how the centre and its activities in Kuwait can serve the EMRO region of WHO. PMID:24434786

Drawing on George Ritzer's sociological concept of McDonaldization, this article explores the transformation of burial practices in Kuwait. It is argued that traditional, religious, and private ways of dealing with death have been modernized using the fast-food model of McDonald's. This article examines Islamic teachings on burial and how that model has been applied to the traditional Muslim funerary services, including cemetery management, grave excavation, funeral prayers, burial, and condolences, to make them more efficient vis-a-vis more profitable. Based on personal observations and random interviews, the study finds that the state bureaucracy in Kuwait has made burial rituals more efficient, standardized, calculable, and controlled. Furthermore, several associated irrationalities are also considered. Findings suggest that some individuals may not be happy with these changes but there is no popular resistance to McDonaldization of the burial practices, probably due to the authoritarian and welfare nature of the State of Kuwait. PMID:21748923

Background: The aim of this work was to analyse the past trends of biomedical and cancer publications from Qatar listed on PubMed for the years 2000–2012. These findings were then compared with the corresponding global number of publications. Methods: PubMed was searched for cancer publications, clinical trials, publications on humans or other species. Searching for “Qatar*” in the “Affiliation” field yielded the lowest number of publications; searching for “Qatar*” in the “Affiliation” or in “Title/Abstract” yielded a moderate number of results and searching for “Qatar*” in the “Affiliation” or “Title/Abstract” or “Text Word” fields yielded the highest number of publications. The annual percentage change (APC) from one year to the next was calculated for the population and each type of publication. Information on the population of Qatar was gathered from the website of Qatar Statistics Authority to determine the correlation of papers published per 1000 population. Results: The number of publications retrieved from PubMed was not particularly different for each variation of search carried out. However, the most representative number of publications was retrieved upon searching for “Qatar*” in the “Affiliation” or in “Title/Abstract” fields. Between the years 2000 and 2012, the total number of biomedical publications from Qatar increased 24 times with an average APC of 33.4%, which was found to be more than the APC of the population in Qatar which averaged at 9%. The number of biomedical publications per 1000 population increased from 0.02 in 2000 to 0.15% in 2012. Most publications retrieved were humans studies and occasionally were for other animal species. Cancer publications in Qatar represented 16.9% of the total publications and the number of cancer publications per 1000 population increased from 0% in 2000 to 0.02% in 2012. Publications classified as clinical trials represented 4.6% of Qatar biomedical publications. Publication of cancer clinical trials were very rare (0.4%). Conclusions: Despite the obvious increase in Qatar biomedical and cancer publications in PubMed, the absolute numbers were relatively small. While strategies are in place, leaders of Qatar biomedical research need to consider increasing cancer research and clinical trials to meet the country's needs. Linking research output to researchers, research facilities and research funding is needed.

Extensive dark smoke clouds associated with burning oil wells in Kuwait have been seen in data from weather satellites since early February 1991. The smoke is dispersed over a wide area. Variable and strong low level winds have held most of the smoke plume below 3 to 5 kilometers within a few hundred kilometers of the source. Thin veils of smoke have been detected in METEOSAT data as far away as 2000 kilometers east of Kuwait, over southwestern Pakistan at heights between 6 and 7 kilometers. The occasional presence of convective clouds over the fires indicates that some scavenging of the smoke is taking place. PMID:17834879

The objective of this study was to find out the perceptions of age and aging among women in Qatar. Respondents consisted of 250 women aged between 20 and 70 years, selected from those attending the health centers in Doha city, the capital of Qatar. They were interviewed using a pretested validated questionnaire, and data were collected through direct face-to-face interviews using the incidental sampling method. It was found that physical appearance and mental alertness were the most important criteria for defining aging in men and women. A statistically significant association was found between age of respondents and physical criteria for aging such as hair color (p < .000) in women and body image in men (p < .0298). As for aging characteristics, decreasing hearing ability (p < .000), performance as before (p < .004), more irritability (p < .0227), ability to travel alone (p < .0429), needs check up (p < .001), and needs a geriatric home (p < .001) were statistically associated with age of women studied. Both positive (socializing factors, independence, housework, retirement, and geriatric care) and negative stereotyping (care for self, learning capabilities, irritability, and worries) with regard to aging were evident among the Qatari women. In general, Qatari women had several positive attitudes toward aging. Such attitudes could be utilized in any health promotion for elderly people. PMID:23767841

Kuwait, as most of the other states located along the Western shores of the Arabian Gulf, relies upon the Gulf as its main drinking water resource via desalination. In case of seawater contamination with blistering chemical warfare agents, traces of the agents and/or degradation products in the finished water might pose a serious health hazard. The objective of the present review is to study the potential contamination, transport, fate, effect and control of blistering chemical warfare agents (CWAs), in the Kuwaiti desalination industry. In general, all the environmental factors involved in the aquatic degradation of CWAs in Kuwait marine environment except for the high salinity in case of blistering agents such as sulphur mustard, and in favor of a fast degradation process. In case of massive releases of CWAs near the Kuwaiti shorelines, turbulence resulting from tidal cycles and high temperature will affect the dissolution process and extend the toxicity of the insoluble agent. Post- and pre-chlorination during the course of seawater desalination will catalyze and significantly accelerate the hydrolysis processes of the CWAs. The heat exerted on CWAs during the power generation-desalination processes is not expected to thermally decompose them. However, the steam heat will augment the agent`s rate of hydrolysis with subsequent acceleration in their rate of detoxification. Conventional pretreatment of feed seawater for reverse-osmosis desalination is theoretically capable of reducing the concentration of CWAs by coprecipitation and adsorption on flocs formed during coagulation. Prechlorination and prolonged detention in time in pretreatment units will simultaneously promote hydrolysis reactions. 50 refs.

Khordagui, H.K. [United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia, Amman (Jordan)

Oman produced more than 600,000 bopd for the first time in 1988. The country led the Middle East in total wells drilled for the third consecutive year. This article presents an interview with H.E. Said bin Ahmed al-Shanfari, Oman's Minister of Petroleum and Minerals. Topics discussed include Oman's future production plans, Opec, future exploratory areas, and petroleum export levels.

This paper investigates the technical, and allocative efficiencies of public schools in Kuwait over four levels of schooling (kindergartens, primary, intermediate and secondary) and two periods (1999/2000 and 2004/2005) using data envelopment analysis. Mean pure technical efficiency varies between 0.695 and 0.852 across all levels of education;…

The practice of pharmacy, as well as pharmacy education, varies significantly throughout the world. In Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, the profession of pharmacy appears to be on the ascendance. This is demonstrated by an increase in the number of pharmacy schools and the number of pharmacy graduates from pharmacy programs. One of the reasons pharmacy is on the ascendance in these countries is government commitment to fund and support competitive, well-run pharmacy programs. In this report we describe pharmacy education in 3 Middle East countries: Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. All 3 countries offer bachelor of pharmacy (BPharm) degrees. In addition, 2 universities in Jordan and 1 in Saudi Arabia offer PharmD degree programs. The teaching methods in all 3 countries combine traditional didactic lecturing and problem-based learning. Faculties of pharmacy in all 3 countries are well staffed and offer competitive remuneration. All 3 countries have a policy of providing scholarships to local students for postgraduate training abroad. The majority of students in Jordan and Kuwait are female, while the ratio of male to female students in Saudi Arabia is even. Students’ attitudes towards learning are generally positive in all 3 countries. In Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, most pharmacy graduates work in the public sector, while in Jordan, the majority work in the private sector. PMID:17136159

All eligible patients hospitalized in the orthopedic hospital in Kuwait during July 1990 (n = 79) were interviewed about their pain and its management. The nurse responsible for the primary care of the patient was also interviewed. Patients and their nurses rated independently how much pain the patient was currently experiencing, and had experienced at specified times, using a 10-point

A conference titled "Preparing Special Education Teachers in Mild/Moderate Disabilities: Programs, Models, and Exemplary Field Experiences" was organized by College of Education at Kuwait University between April 11-13, 2010. This conference was intended to lead to a better teacher preparation program in the region in the area of mild and moderate…

Sound is considered as a pollutant when it exceeds undesirable limits for the recipient. One of the significant environmental problems associated with industries is noise pollution generated by machinery. The main objectives of this study were to measure noise levels generated by machinery that the workers were exposed to at five industrial facilities in the State of Kuwait. Also, to

Outlines the procedures followed in the needs analysis (NA) project carried out in 1996 at the College of Petroleum and Engineering at Kuwait University. Focuses on the steps taken in the project and the rationale behind them. Offers an illustration of an NA project and to show the procedural steps involved. (Author/VWL)

This paper integrates simulation with optimization to design a decision support tool for the operation of an emergency department unit at a governmental hospital in Kuwait. The hospital provides a set of ser- vices for different categories of patients. We present a methodology that uses system simulation com- bined with optimization to determine the optimal number of doctors, lab technicians

This study focuses on teachers' perceptions of the problem of underachievement in elementary schools in Kuwait. Five hundred and twenty elementary school teachers participated. Teachers thought that the main reasons behind the problem of under-achievement in school could be attributed to family factors. They also indicated that the most related…

During sampling for spawning stock of the silver pomfret, Pampus argenteus in Kuwait waters, a few seriously deformed individuals were captured. These individuals had been attacked and wounded, but had healed and survived. The fish body deformities are believed to be caused by predation attempts on silver pomfret by predators such as sharks, groupers, and croakers.

A fist-sized meteorite with a mineralogy and isotopic signature suggesting Martian origin has been discovered by Swiss researchers in the Sayh al Uhaymir region of desert in Oman. On June 15, scientists at the University of Bern announced their finding of the Martian meteorite, named Sayh al Uhaymir 094 and one of only eighteen known on Earth. Only recently have scientists been combing the deserts for Martian meteorites; previously they were collected mainly from the Antarctic. Finding these rare rocks from Mars is an exciting and inexpensive way to collect data, including information on possible water or life, from the Red Planet. This week's In the News takes a look at the Oman discovery and Martian meteorites in general.

With about 2 {times} 10{sup 9} stock-tank m{sup 3} (12.6 {times} 10{sup 9} STB) of medium/heavy oil originally in place (OOIP) in south Oman, considerable scope exists for increasing oil recovery by thermal methods. The viability of thermal recovery in south Oman was tested with a steamflood pilot in the Al Khlata sands of the Marmul field and a 2-year steam-soak project to test the applicability of steam soak in five south Oman oil fields producing heavy oil. This paper describes the performance of the latter project. The wells selected for the test program included a wide range of south Oman reservoir and oil characteristics i.e., the main reservoir drive mechanisms of depletion, solution-gas, and edge- and bottomwater drive, the reservoir sandbody types, and oil viscosities from 80 to 4000 mPa {center dot} s (80 to 4,000 cp). Steam-soak operations were successful, and oil production accelerated significantly, with an average stimulate production rate twice that before stimulation. Acceleration was less marked in wells where reservoir energy is limited or where the primary (cold) water cut is more than 30%. At primary (cold) water cuts {gt}50%, no increase in oil production rate was observed. The process was simulated numerically for several wells, with the results in close agreement with performance. Improved understanding of the process resulting from the simulation allowed the most important factors influencing performance to be identified and aided process optimization in the field test. Two small-scale steam-soak projects currently are being assessed for implementatioimplementation in the early 1990's.

This study investigated major sources of PM2.5 in the atmosphere of Kuwait based on a sampling program conducted between February 2004 and October 2005. Three source identification techniques were used in this study: (1) a positive matrix factorization model; (2) backward trajectory profiles; and (3) concentration rose plots. Five major sources of PM2.5 were estimated. These were sand dust (sand storms), oil combustion (power plants), petrochemical industry (fertilizer, nylon or catalyst regeneration facilities), traffic (vehicle emissions and road dust) and transported emissions (emissions from outside Kuwait, such as those from automobiles, road dust or smelters). The estimated contributions to PM2.5 of these sources were: 54% from sand dust, 18% from oil combustion, 12% from petrochemical industry, 11% from traffic and 5% from anthropogenic sources transported from outside the country. Oil combustion, petrochemical industry and traffic were found to emanate from local sources, whereas sand dust and some emissions from traffic, and possibly smelters, appeared to originate from sources outside of Kuwait (transported). The PM2.5 levels in Kuwait during our previous sampling study averaged 53?g/m(3). More than half of the measured PM2.5 appears to have been due to crustal material, much originating outside of the country. However, the relatively high levels of PM2.5 contributed by anthropogenic local sources, such as oil combustion, petrochemical industry emissions, and traffic indicated that there may be great opportunities for Kuwait to improve public health. The application of cost-effective emission controls and development of forward looking environmental health policies have the potential to significantly reduce emissions, population exposures to PM2.5 and the burden of mortality and morbidity from air pollution. PMID:23270730

The prevalence of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widespread and is growing worldwide. This cross-sectional study in Qatar examined the use of CAM and its correlates among Arab women in their midlife years. Women aged 40-60 years (n = 814) were recruited at primary care centres in Qatar and completed a specially designed, pre-tested questionnaire. Overall, 38.2% of midlife women in Qatar had used CAM in the previous 12 months. Nutritional remedies and herbal remedies were the most commonly used CAM therapies, followed by physical methods. Qatari nationality and higher level of education were independently associated with CAM use. Menopause transition status was not independently associated with use of CAM. The prevalence of CAM use by women in Qatar was high, consistent with other reports worldwide. It is essential to educate and inform patients and health-care providers about the benefits and limitations associated with CAM. PMID:25343468

The wind regime in Oman coupled with an extensive coastline and vast unpopulated areas have to potential to contribute significantly to the future electricity supply of the country. However, wind energy is not quite as simple to implement as some other renewable energy sources. The analysis of ground stations measurements, indicate a higher potential in the southern parts of Oman.

Explains that the Sultanate of Oman is the only country in the world, other than the UK, to have adopted the national vocational qualification NVQ as its national system for vocational training. Assesses the extent to which centres in Oman have been successful in implementing the NVQ, and the extent to which the NVQ has contributed towards…

Isotopic and chemical evidence is adduced for the H gas associated with Ca(2+)OH-rich alkaline groundwaters presently emanating from ultramafic rocks of the Oman ophiolite which indicates that H is formed by low - temperature redox reactions in a closed groundwater environment. This normally cryptic hydrospheric process is fortuitously revealed by the unusual hydrogeological conditions in Oman, where O is totally

Describes developments in library services that took place in Oman from 1970-90 and discusses the current status of library development. Topics discussed include the rapid social and economic development in Oman, the lack of human and physical resources, the lack of a national library, and deficiencies in school libraries. (five references) (LRW)

The Sultanate of Oman harbours rich populations of sponges, especially in the four coral reef areas (Musandam Peninsula, Muscat coast & Daymaniyat islands, coasts of Masirah Island, and the Khuriya Muriya Islands). Up till now, apart from a few incidental samples, the sponges of Oman were known only from five dredge stations made by the John Murray Expedition 1933-1934 off

On November 28th, 1945 an 8.1 magnitude earthquake focused in the eastern portion of the Makran subduction zone (Arabian Sea) generated a powerful tsunami that destroyed many coastal villages in Pakistan and India. Reports indicate that the tsunami also caused significant damage in Muscat, Oman, although its effects elsewhere in Oman are unknown. A thick bivalve dominated shell horizon was

The Sultanate of Oman is an arid country with rapidly developing economy and a high population growth rate. Together, they have increased the demand for freshwater. In response, the Sultanate has developed well fields and installed desalination plants across Oman. Albeit meeting the demand for freshwater, such investments are straining the country's financial and natural resources. Experience in several arid

The main objective of this study is to determine the optimum size of systems able to fulfil the electrical energy requirements of remote sites located in Hajer Bani (HB) Hameed in the North of Oman, Masirah Island and the Mothorah area in the South of Oman. The methodology applied provides a useful and simple approach for sizing and analysing the

[Excerpt] The labor laws of Oman simply do not protect the fundamental rights of workers. At this time, Omani workers are unable to form independent unions or to bargain collectively. Instead, the employer decides which benefits, if any, the workers shall enjoy. The law is completely silent on the right to strike. The constitution and labor laws do not prohibit

Geochemical variability of the Oman ophiolite lavas: Relationship with spatial distribution in the extrusive section of the Oman ophiolite was determined by inductively coupled plasma-source mass lavas types in Oman. Most of the Oman ophiolite extrusive sequence is composed of lavas of composition

Air borne dust as deposited on air conditioner's filter was collected from most polluted regions of Kuwait and for comparison also from Dubai. Kuwait dust samples were found to contain high concentrations of Ni, Mn and Pb and a number of organic compounds different from the oil samples collected from the oil pool in the oil fields. Toxicity evaluation against human erythrocytes showed strong hemolytic nature of the dust. Treatment of erythrocytes with the dust exhibited peroxidative damage of the membrane. The dust collected from Dubai was innocuous. The present data suggest that erythrocyte damaging potential of the dust can be used as a marker of toxicity and provide information about the dissipation of toxic factors from airborne dust with time. 15 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.

The August 2, 1990, invasion of Kuwait on the part of Iraq has set in motion an accelerated domino affect in US fuels markets. The impact on US refiners has been generally negative, both in terms of margins and perceptions of same. This issue of Energy Detente (ED) updates a few directional indicators that affect refining margins and considers longer-term refining capacity requirements in the US. ED feels the invasion of Kuwait might force oil companies to allocate more talent, time, and financial resources to public affairs. This issue also contains the following: (1) The ED Refining Netback Data Series for the US Gulf and West Coasts, Rotterdam, and Singapore as of Aug. 24, 1990; and (2) the ED Fuel Price/Tax Series for countries of the Eastern Hemisphere Aug. 1990 edition. 4 figs., 5 tabs.

Despite immense resources and a growing interest in education and libraries, library development in Kuwait has been restricted by the problems common to all developing countries. These include an overdose of bureaucracy, lack of trained librarians, and little perception of the library's importance in the educational system. Medical librarianship is virtually a new field. The only medical library of any significance in the country is the Faculty of Medicine Library established in 1974 to serve the newly organized Faculty of Medicine of Kuwait University. In recent years, the Faculty of Medicine Library has gone through several reassessments and many changes. It has expanded its collection, begun computerized searching, and recruited several professional librarians. Now semiautonomous from the university's Libraries Department and housed in a new, modern building, the library has the potential to become the main medical library in the Persian Gulf area. PMID:6365225

Large amounts of DU material has been released to the environmentin Kosovo and Kuwait due to the use of depleted uranium (DU)\\u000a ammunitionduring the 1991 Gulf war and the 1999 Balkan conflict. Following the impact ofmetallic DU penetrators on solid targets,\\u000a DU particles are dispersed and ignited,and uranium in the particles is oxidized. Following inhalation or ingestion ofDU particles,\\u000a the

of the Day (h) Figure 4. Daily Electricity Consumption of a Peak Day in Kuwait for 2003. 3. ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAM This section explains advances made by the Buildings and Energy Technologies Department (BET), of the Environmental and Urban...’s fifth strategic plan to reduce electricity consumption by 10%, BET department of KISR has been working for the development of an advanced code for energy conservation in A/C buildings under a MOE- sponsored research...

The Yibal oil field in west central Oman is a large dome created by deep-seated salt movement. The maximum oil column is 370 feet and the productive area is about 7 by 10 kilometers. The structure is complicated by extensive tensional faulting. The main oil accumulation is in the Shuaiba Chalk overlain disconformably by the Nahr Umr Shale. The Shuaiba reservoir is in pressure communication with the underlying Kharaib Formation. It is speculated that early accumulation of oil played a major role in preserving the high porosity and greater crestal reservoir thickness by inhibiting diagenetic processes.

This paper describes the evaluation of the resistance to fracture initiation and propagation for the high-strength, heavy-wall pipe required for the Oman India Pipeline (OIP). It discusses the unique aspects of this pipeline and their influence on fracture control, reviews conventional fracture control design methods, their limitations with regard to the pipe in question, the extent to which they can be utilized for this project, and other approaches being explored. Test pipe of the size and grade required for the OIP show fracture toughness well in excess of the minimum requirements.

The spatial and temporal patterns of water quality in Kuwait Bay have been investigated using data from six stations between 2009 and 2011. The results showed that most of water quality parameters such as phosphorus (PO4), nitrate (NO3), dissolved oxygen (DO), and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) fluctuated over time and space. Based on Water Quality Index (WQI) data, six stations were significantly clustered into two main classes using cluster analysis, one group located in western side of the Bay, and other in eastern side. Three principal components are responsible for water quality variations in the Bay. The first component included DO and pH. The second included PO4, TSS and NO3, and the last component contained seawater temperature and turbidity. The spatial and temporal patterns of water quality in Kuwait Bay are mainly controlled by seasonal variations and discharges from point sources of pollution along Kuwait Bay's coast as well as from Shatt Al-Arab River. PMID:24768174

The paper reviews the arguments for and against monetary union among the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council—the United\\u000a Arab Emirates, the State of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar and the State\\u000a of Kuwait. Both technical economic arguments and political economy considerations are discussed. I conclude that there is\\u000a an

In the past decade, the Sultanate of Oman has experienced three outbreaks of paralytic poliomyelitis--a widespread polio type 1 epidemic in 1988/1989, four cases of polio type 3 in three different regions in 1991, and a localized type 1 outbreak in 1993. The lessons learnt from each of these epidemics have guided us to modify and improve our polio eradication activities. Currently, these activities include administration of five primary and three booster doses of trivalent oral polio vaccine, yearly national immunization campaigns (NIDs) since 1995 with coverage of >90%, localized immunization campaigns, acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance which involves reporting of all cases by facsimile to the Department of Surveillance within 24 h of detecting a case and weekly zero reporting from 22 sentinel sites, and virological testing of stool specimens of all AFP cases and their close contacts at the national, World Health Organization accredited laboratory. The cumulative success of these activities has resulted in Oman being free from polio for the past 6 years. However, the possibility of importation of wild poliovirus, particularly from southern and western Asia still exists. PMID:11600091

Qatar is dependent on importation of rice, its staple dish, and is therefore susceptible to compromises of food quality in the global market. This market basket study assesses potential health risks of As exposure from rice consumption in Qatar and examines its contribution to the recommended nutritional intakes (RNI) for Zn and Se. Fifty-six rice types and 12 products sold in Qatar were analyzed by ICP/MS. Mean concentrations and ranges were 96.2±54.1?g/kg (9.76-258?g/kg) for As; 12.5±5.35mg/kg (2.79-29.9mg/kg) for Zn and 103±113?g/kg (<5.94-422?g/kg) for Se. Calculated risk quotient shows rice consumption in Qatar is not a significant route of As exposure but can contribute up to 100% and 50% of the RNI for Se and Zn, respectively. Results indicate that children in Qatar may be at elevated risk of arsenic exposure from rice-based infant cereals but more data is needed to obtain a definitive assessment. PMID:24813761

The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence and sociodemographic predictors of consanguineous unions in the State of Qatar and to assess the association between consanguinity, fertility and child health. A representative sample of 1800 Qatari women aged > or =15 years was approached for the study. Of these, 1515 (84.2%) women agreed to participate. The consanguineous marriage rate was 54.0% with estimated population confidence limits of 52.3-55.7%. First cousin unions were the most common form of cousin marriage. The level of parental consanguinity (both in the respondent's parents and her parents-in-law) was quite high. In a multivariable analysis, both education of the respondent and her husband as well as parental consanguinity were found to be strong predictors of consanguineous unions in the index generation. Although fertility was high in both groups, the mean number of pregnancies was somewhat higher in respondents with first cousin unions. Concomitantly they also had a slighter higher rate of livebirths than women in non-consanguineous unions. The occurrence of asthma, mental retardation, epilepsy and diabetes was significantly more common in offspring of all consanguineous than non-consanguineous couples. PMID:16911015

Although it was claimed that the Kuwait Master Plans have helped guide the development in Kuwait from a small mud brick town of 150,000 inhabitants to today's modern metropolis of about 3 million inhabitants, this article argues that the implementation of the first plan in 1952 planted the seeds of human and ecological risk problems in Kuwait, which were intensified

Kuwait has been pivotal to all the U.S. interventions in the Persian Gulf region since the 1980s because of its location, its role as the object of past Iraqi aggression, and its close cooperation with the United States. Kuwait remains a key to the U.S. a...

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of the Kuwait Diabetes Care Program on the quality of care provided for diabetic patients in the Primary Health Care setting. Materials and Methods: The Kuwait Diabetes Care Program developed, published and disseminated clinical practice guidelines, conducted training courses, standards for diabetes care, and introduced a monitoring and evaluation system. Four audits (September 1999, October

This study is performed by conducting a survey analysis to investigate students' attitudes and preferences towards learning English at Kuwait University in non-English major ESL students. The sample size will be roughly 21-22% of a total of 4950 college level English Language learners at Kuwait University where specific English courses are part of…

BASUG, DFD and other migrant leaders also deplored the role of the Bangladesh embassy authorities in Kuwait for their passive action in resolving the sufferings of the striking Bangladeshi workers. Quoting the returnee migrant workers the statement said, despite repeated requests by the workers the Bangladesh embassy officials in Kuwait did not show minimum interest in the whole affair and

...Steel Pipe From India, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam Determinations On...imports from India, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam of circular welded...Governments of India, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and...

...the Sultanate of Oman (Oman), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam). See Circular...Investigations The period of investigation for the India, Oman, and UAE investigations is October 1, 2010, through September 30,...

...of Oman (``Oman''), The United Arab Emirates (``the UAE''), and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (``Vietnam...investigations of certain steel pipe from India, Oman, the UAE, and Vietnam. Under section 703(c)(1)(A) of the...

The increasing prevalence of chronic disease in Oman is a public health challenge. Available evidence in Oman on physical inactivity, the fourth leading risk factor for chronic disease, calls for urgent action to reduce physical inactivity as part of a key strategy to address chronic disease in Oman. The public health implications of this evidence for Oman are considered in light of recommendations outlined in the Toronto Charter for Physical Activity. The charter provides a systematic approach of physical activity and outlines an action plan that could be adapted to the Omani context. Urgent intersectoral action focusing on a shared goal and a more deliberate public health response addressing physical inactivity is required. Further research is needed on the determinants of physical inactivity and culturally appropriate interventions in order to guide future public health actions. PMID:24790738

Background Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended as the optimal way to feed infants for the first six months of life. While overall breastfeeding rates are high, exclusive breastfeeding is relatively uncommon among Middle Eastern women. The objective of this study was to identify the incidence of breastfeeding amongst women in the six governorates of Kuwait and the factors associated with the initiation of breastfeeding. Methods A sample of 373 women (aged 17-47 years), recruited shortly after delivery from four hospitals in Kuwait, completed a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify those factors independently associated with the initiation of breastfeeding. Results In total, 92.5% of mothers initiated breastfeeding and at discharge from hospital the majority of mothers were partially breastfeeding (55%), with only 30% of mothers fully breastfeeding. Prelacteal feeding was the norm (81.8%) and less than 1 in 5 infants (18.2%) received colostrum as their first feed. Only 10.5% of infants had been exclusively breastfed since birth, the remainder of the breastfed infants having received either prelacteal or supplementary infant formula feeds at some time during their hospital stay. Of the mothers who attempted to breastfeed, the majority of women (55.4%) delayed their first attempt to breastfeed until 24 hours or more after delivery. Breastfeeding at discharge from hospital was positively associated with paternal support for breastfeeding and negatively associated with delivery by caesarean section and with the infant having spent time in the Special Care Nursery. Conclusions The reasons for the high use of prelacteal and supplementary formula feeding warrant investigation. Hospital policies and staff training are needed to promote the early initiation of breastfeeding and to discourage the unnecessary use of infant formula in hospital, in order to support the establishment of exclusive breastfeeding by mothers in Kuwait. PMID:20667112

The Yibal oil field in west central Oman is a large dome created by deep-seated salt movement. The maximum oil column is 370 ft (112.8 m) and the productive area is about 4.3 x 6.2 mile (7 x 10 km). The structure is complicated by extensive tensional faulting. The main oil accumulation is in the Shuaiba chalk overlain disconformably by the Nahr Umr shale. The Shuaiba reservoir is in pressure communication with the underlying Kharaib formation. It is speculated that early accumulation of oil played a major role in preserving the high porosity and greater crestal reservoir thickness by inhibiting diagenetic processes. This field study provided the reservoir simulation engineer with a viable geological and petrophysical model of the Shuaiba reservoir to aid in understanding observed phenomena.

This elevation map shows a part of the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula including parts of the countries of Oman and Yemen. The narrow coastal plain on the right side of the image includes the city of Salahlah, the second largest city in Oman. Various crops, including coconuts, papayas and bananas, are grown on this plain. The abrupt topography of the coastal mountains wrings moisture from the monsoon, enabling agriculture in the otherwise dry environment of the Arabian Peninsula. These mountains are historically significant as well: Some scholars believe these mountains are the 'southern mountains' of the book of Genesis.

This image brightness corresponds to shading illumination from the right, while colors show the elevation as measured by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Colors range from green at the lowest elevations to brown at the highest elevations. This image contains about 1400 meters (4600 feet) of total relief. The Arabian Sea is colored blue.

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), launched on February 11, 2000, used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. The mission was designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, an additional C-band imaging antenna and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) and the German (DLR) and Italian (ASI)space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Washington, DC.

Size: 149 by 40 kilometers (92 by 25 miles) Location: 16.9 deg. North lat., 53.7 deg. East lon. Orientation: North at top right Date Acquired: February 15, 2000 Image: NASA/JPL/NIMA

Objectives To determine the causes, predictors and outcomes of re-intubation. Methods Retrospective analysis of data collected from the trauma data base registry was conducted to identify the extubation failure cases in Trauma ICU at Hamad General Hospital, the only Level I trauma center in Qatar between January 2009 and December 2010. Demographics, mechanism of Injury, complications, injury severity score (ISS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), ICU-length of stay (LOS), and mortality were analyzed among trauma patients who need reintubation within 48 hrs after extubation (group 1) compared to successfully extubated patients (group 2). Result A total of 954 patients were admitted to the trauma ICU, of which 343 were intubated orotracheally. The mean age of patients was 32±12 years with male predominance (95%). Motor vehicle crash (41%), pedestrian injury (20%) and falls (18%) were the most common mechanisms of injury. Reintubation (group 1) was required in 24 patients (7%). Patients in group 1 had higher rate of head injury mainly SAH (88%), pneumonia (79%) and pulmonary contusion (58%). The mean ICU-LOS was higher in the reintubated patients (p=0.010) in comparison to group 2. Forty-six percent of reintubated patients required tracheostomy. The mean age, ISS, GCS and tube size was comparable among the two groups. Furthermore, reintubation was not associated with higher mortality rate (p=0.910). However, Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (odd ratio=3.61 [95% CI 1.25-10.44]; p=0.020) and ventilator days (odd ratio=1.09 [95% CI 1.024-1.153]; p=0.006) were independent predictors of reintubation by multivariate analysis. Conclusion Re-intubation is associated with increased ICU-LOS and need for tracheostomy. VAP and prolonged intubation are independent predictors of re-intubation. Our finding addresses the value of prevention and early treatment of infection in intubated patients. This study may represent an audit of local practice as well.

Background Ocular trauma is one of the important causes of preventable blindness and visual impairment among children worldwide. Prevalence\\u000a of pediatric ocular trauma associated with toy guns appear to be on the rise, although they are fully preventable. The purpose\\u000a of this study is to report ocular trauma secondary to toy-gun pellets in Kuwait.\\u000a \\u000a \\u000a \\u000a Methods We conducted a non-comparative case series based

The concentration of lead, cadmium, and mercury in 134 samples of imported fruits and vegetables marketed in Kuwait were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer with a graphite furnace and the cold vapor technique. Results obtained showed that the concentration of these metal ions in most cases did not exceed the maximum permissible concentration of metals in fresh fruits and vegetables as restricted by some countries. Only a few samples of fruits and vegetables contained levels of mercury, cadmium, and lead which exceeded these maximum permissible levels.

Kuwait sea surface temperature (SST) and water clarity are important water characteristics that influence the entire Kuwait coastal ecosystem. The spatial and temporal distributions of these important water characteristics should be well understood to obtain a better knowledge about this productive coastal environment. The aim of this project was therefore to study the spatial and temporal distributions of: Kuwait SST using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images collected from January 2003 to July 2007; and Kuwait Secchi Disk Depth (SDD), a water clarity measure, using Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and MODIS data collected from November 1998 to October 2004 and January 2003 to June 2007, respectively. Kuwait SST was modeled based on the linear relationship between level 2 MODIS SST data and in situ SST data. MODIS SST images showed a significant relationship with in situ SST data ( r2= 0.98, n = 118, RMSE = 0.7°C). Kuwait SST images derived from MODIS data exhibited three spatial patterns of Kuwait SST across the year that were mainly attributed to the northwestern counterclockwise water circulation of the Arabian Gulf, and wind direction and intensity. The temporal variation of Kuwait SST was greatly influenced by the seasonal variation of solar intensity and air temperatures. Kuwait SDD was measured through two steps: first, computing the diffuse light attenuation coefficient at 490 nm, Kd(490), and 488 nm, Kd(488), derived from SeaWiFS and MODIS, respectively, using a semi-analytical algorithm; second, establishing two SDD models based on the empirical relationship of Kd(490) and Kd(488) with in situ SDD data. Kd(490) and Kd(488) showed a significant relationship with in situ SDD data ( r2= 0.67 and r2= 0.68, respectively). Kuwait SDD images showed distinct spatial and temporal patterns of Kuwait water clarity that were mainly attributed to three factors: the Shatt Al-Arab discharge, water circulation, and coastal currents. The SeaWiFS and MODIS data compared to in situ measurements provided a comprehensive view of the studied seawater characteristics that improved their overall estimation within Kuwait's waters. Also, the near-real-time availability of SeaWiFS and MODIS data and their highly temporal resolution make them a very advantageous tool for studying coastal environments. Thus, I recommend involving this method in monitoring Kuwait coastal environments.

Petroleum production in Middle East countries during 1984 totaled 4,088,853,000 bbl (an average rate of 11,144,407 BOPD), down less than 1.0% from the revised total of 4,112,116,000 bbl produced in 1983. Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman had significant increases; Iran and Dubai had significant decreases. Jordan produced oil, although a minor amount, for the first time ever, and new production facilities were in the planning stage in Syria, North Yemen, and Oman, which will bring new fields on stream when completed.

Petroleum production in Middle East countries during 1984 totaled 4,088,853,000 bbl (an average rate of 11,144,407 BOPD), down less than 1.0% from the revised total of 4,112,116,000 bbl produced in 1983. Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman had significant increases; Iran and Dubai had significant decreases. Jordan produced oil, although a minor amount, for the first time ever, and new production facilities were in the planning stage in Syria, North Yemen, and Oman, which will bring new fields on stream when completed. 4 figures, 9 tables.

Objectives. To determine the prevalence and risk factors of default from pulmonary tuberculosis treatment in Kuwait. Design. Retrospective study. Patients and methods. We studied all patients who were registered for pulmonary tuberculosis treatment between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2012, and admitted into TB wards in El Rashid Center or treated in the outpatient clinic in TB Control Unit. Results. There were 110 (11.5%) patients who defaulted from treatment. Fifty-six percent of those who defaulted did so in the first 2 months of treatment and 86.4% of them were still bacteriologically positive at the time of default. Key risk factors associated with noncompliance were male sex, low educational level, non-Kuwaiti nations, history of default, and history of concomitant diabetes mellitus, liver disease, or lung cancer. Multiple drug resistance was also associated with default from treatment. Conclusion. Default from treatment may be partially responsible for the persistent relatively high rates of tuberculosis in Kuwait. Health professionals and policy makers should ensure that all barriers to treatment are removed and that incentives are used to encourage treatment compliance. PMID:24955415

One of the major rehabilitation projects in Kuwait during the 1990s was improvement of the wastewater treatment plant at Jahra, a town 30 km north of Kuwait City. The project incorporates construction of a pumping station to collect the sewage via a network of sewer lines throughout the city. Groundwater occurs 4 m below the ground surface and construction specifications required lowering the groundwater table by 16 m to the foundation grade, 20 m below the ground surface. Open excavation with four stage well point system of dewatering was selected to ensure dry foundation conditions; but the system failed to lower the groundwater table down to the desired depth. Review of site investigation records and recalculation of field hydraulic conductivity resulted in design changes, augmenting the well point system with a number of deep wells and sumps to lower the water table down to the foundation grade. The paper discusses subsurface conditions and presents an analysis of the cause of failure of the well point system. The actual hydraulic conductivity proved to be several folds higher than the calculated one that was determined using Hazen’s formula. It was found that use of Hazen’s formula led to serious underestimation of field hydraulic conductivity. It is advised not to use such formulas without thorough investigation and proper interpretation of borehole data.

Feedbacks between deformation and melt distribution in the crustï¿½mantle transition zone of the Oman in the Oman ophiolite. This zone represents an `end member' case for analyzing feedbacks between deformation

In 2002, Qatar began establishing publicly funded, privately operated "independent schools" in parallel with the existing, centralized Ministry of Education system. The reform that drove the establishment of the independent schools included accountability provisions such as (a) measuring school and student performance and (b) distributing school…

To evaluate progress made in the first years of Qatar's implementation of K-12 education reform, RAND analyzed data from school-level observations, national surveys, and national student assessments. The study found that students in the new, Independent schools were performing better than those in Ministry schools, and there was greater student…

Reform-minded leaders of Qatar, who have embarked on a sweeping reform of their nation's education system, asked RAND to evaluate the education finance system that has been adopted and to offer suggestions for improvements. The authors analyze the system's evolution and resource allocation patterns between 2004 and 2006 and develop analytic tools…

Qatar has made significant efforts to improve post-secondary educational opportunities to ensure that its citizens are able to contribute to the country's social and economic goals. These initiatives, however, have not been subjected to a broad strategic review. The authors describe RAND's analysis of skill and occupational demands and related…

The national educational system of Qatar was established in 1956, when the discovery of oil provided a financial base for educational expansion. The government provides free education from primary school through the university and has stressed a system of incentives for students rather than declaring education compulsory on any level. Four types…

Introduction: The aims of this study were to explore the associations between, and the factors of, subjective well-being, health, and religiosity among Qatari undergraduates. A sample of 113 male and 133 female college students from University of Qatar responded to the Oxford Happiness Inventory, Satisfaction With Life Scale, and Love of Life Scale, as well as to five self-rating scales

The global migration of elite athletes is a key feature of the transnational labour market. Following a background discussion and review of the literature on sport and transnationalism, this article explores this phenomenon in the context of Qatar. Beginning with the emergence, meaning and movement of the elite athlete transnational labour force that constitutes global sport markets, the article explores

2 = 0.67 and r 2 = 0.68, respectively). Kuwait SDD images showed distinct spatial and temporal patterns of Kuwait water clarity that were mainly attributed to three factors: the Shatt Al-Arab discharge, water circulation, and coastal currents...-Zubair and Shatt Al-Arab. b) Average salinity of the study sites from February, 2004 to February, 2005. Al-Yamani et al. (2004) also reported that the minimum salinity of north Kuwait seawaters during the period of 1996-1997 was in February 1997. The second...

Triassic alkaline magmatism of the Hawasina Nappes: post-breakup melting of the Oman lithospheric within three tectonostratigraphic groups of the Hawasina Nappes in the Oman Mountains the Oman lithospheric mantle, the original DMM-HIMU signature of which was overprinted during its pervasive

Deep and High-temperature Hydrothermal Circulation in the Oman Ophiolite------- Petrological (Oman) shows that most of the gabbros have been affected by successive stages of alteration, starting the internal wall of the magma chamber. KEY WORDS: hydrothermal systems; Oman ophiolite; Sr and O isotopes

Interactions between magma and hydrothermal system in Oman ophiolite and in IODP Hole 1256D processes. We present maps of two areas of the Oman ophiolite where this transition zone is observed reheating stages, and assimilation processes observed in the Oman ophiolite are consistent

EPR microplates, a model for the Oman Ophiolite F. Boudier, A. Nicolas, B. lldefonseand D ci&x 05, France ABSTRACT Structural mapping in the Southern half of the Oman ophiolite has revealed. Such an activity supports the comparison of the Oman palaeoridge system with an oceanic microplate, and provides

OMAN - A Management Architecture for P2P Service Overlay Networks Adriano Fiorese1,2 , Paulo Sim Overlay Net- works (SON). The architecture, named OMAN, takes into account the formation of the P2P SON as pointing the overall potential of the OMAN archi- tecture. Keywords:Services Management, P2P, Service

Lantern fish (Benthosema pterotum) resources as a target for commercial exploitation in the Oman lantern fish Benthosema pterotum (Mycto- phidae) represents a virgin resource in the Oman Sea. Because pelagic trawls were carried out in Iranian waters of the Oman Sea from 1992 to 1998. Lantern fish schools

lr t A Detailed Study of Mantle Flow away from Diapirs in the Oman Ophiolite B.ILDEFONSE, S diapirs. In the Oman ophiolite, however, the shear direc- tion inversion is not systematically developed in the Oman ophiolite' temperature flow presented a shear direction inversion at a few hundred meters to a few

Abundance of demersal Â¢sh resources in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea T. Valinassab*P , R in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. Samples were taken at a total of 316 trawl stations selected following a strati and approximately 39,000 tonnes in the Oman Sea. The lowest CPUA was recorded in the west of the study area (stratum

...NRC-2011-0264] RIN 3150-AJ06 Removal of Oman from the Restricted Destinations List AGENCY...export and import regulations by removing Oman from the list of restricted destinations...to U.S. Government law and policy on Oman. The Executive Branch recommended,...

The Sultanate of Oman recently investigated the viability of online teacher training through a joint project funded by the U.S. Middle East Partnership Initiative and the Oman Ministry of Education. One aspect of the project was to build sufficient capacity within the Ministry to enable Oman to produce online training in the future. This article…

Root zone of the sheeted dike complex in the Oman ophiolite Adolphe Nicolas and FrancÂ¸oise BoudierÂ´osciences Marines, IPG, CNRS, 4 Place Jussieu, F-75252 Paris CeÂ´dex 05, France [1] In the Oman ophiolite crustal. The Oman ophiolite is derived from a fast spreading ridge which had a melt lens located between the main

(470 ) Just-In-Time Teaching in China and Oman Rudolf Fleischer Fudon University, Shanghai, China and GUTech, Muscat, Oman Abstract I will report on my experiences with the Just- in-Time Teaching (Ji with JiTT in China and Oman. I will end with some concluding remarks in Section 5. In the appendix, I

Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) is the most devastating disease of the subsistence crop cassava (Manihot esculenta) across Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The disease is caused by viruses of the genus Begomovirus (family Geminiviridae)-seven species have been identified so far. The Sultanate of Oman is unusual among countries in Arabia in growing cassava on a small scale for local consumption. During a recent survey in A'Seeb wilayat of Muscat governorate, Oman, cassava plants were identified with symptoms typical of CMD. A begomovirus, East African cassava mosaic Zanzibar virus (EACMZV), was isolated from symptomatic plants. This virus was previously only known to occur in Zanzibar and Kenya. During the 19th Century, Zanzibar was governed by Oman and was so important that the Sultan of Oman moved his capital there from Muscat. After a period of colonial rule, the governing Arab elite was overthrown, following independence in the 1960s, and many expatriate Omanis returned to their homeland. Having gained a liking for the local Zanzibar cuisine, it appears that returning Omanis did not wish to do without dishes made from one particular favorite, cassava. Consequently, they carried planting material back to Oman for cultivation in their kitchen gardens. The evidence suggests that this material harbored EACMZV. Recently, Oman has been shown to be a nexus for geminiviruses and their associated satellites from diverse geographic origins. With their propensity to recombine, a major mechanism for evolution of geminiviruses, and the fact that Oman (and several other Arabian countries) is a major hub for trade and travel by air and sea, the possibility of onward spread is worrying. PMID:23085885

Background There is paucity of published data on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seroprevalence among migrant workers entering Middle-East particularly Kuwait. We took advantage of the routine screening of migrants for HIV infection, upon arrival in Kuwait from the areas with high HIV prevalence, to 1) estimate the HIV seroprevalence among migrant workers entering Kuwait and to 2) ascertain if any significant time trend or changes had occurred in HIV seroprevalence among these migrants over the study period. Methods The monthly aggregates of daily number of migrant workers tested and number of HIV seropositive were used to generate the monthly series of proportions of HIV seropositive (per 100,000) migrants over a period of 120 months from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2006. We carried out spectral analysis of these time series data on monthly proportions (per 100,000) of HIV seropositive migrants. Results Overall HIV seroprevalence (per 100,000) among the migrants was 21 (494/2328582) (95% CI: 19 -23), ranging from 11 (95% CI: 8 – 16) in 2003 to 31 (95% CI: 24 -41) in 1998. There was no discernable pattern in the year-specific proportions of HIV seropositive migrants up to 2003; in subsequent years there was a slight but consistent increase in the proportions of HIV seropositive migrants. However, the Mann-Kendall test showed non-significant (P = 0.741) trend in de-seasonalized data series of proportions of HIV seropositive migrants. The spectral density had a statistically significant (P = 0.03) peak located at a frequency (radians) 2.4, which corresponds to a regular cycle of three-month duration in this study. Auto-correlation function did not show any significant seasonality (correlation coefficient at lag 12 = – 0.025, P = 0.575). Conclusion During the study period, overall a low HIV seroprevalence (0.021%) was recorded. Towards the end of the study, a slight but non-significant upward trend in the proportions of HIV seropositive migrants was recorded. A significant rhythmic cycle of three-month duration was observed in the proportions of HIV seropositive migrants. The underlying factors for a consistent upward trend towards the end of study period and for a significant quarterly cycle in the proportions of HIV seropositive migrants merit further investigations. PMID:18366744

Most of the global warming observations, scientific interest and data analyses have concentrated on the earth Polar Regions and forested areas, as they provide direct measurable impacts of large scale environmental changes. Unfortunately, the arid environments, which represent ~20% of the earth surface, have remained poorly studied. Yet water rarity and freshness, drastic changes in rainfall, flash floods, high rates of aquifer discharge and an accelerated large-scale desertification process are all alarming signs that suggest a substantial large-scale climatic variation in those areas that can be correlated to the global change that is affecting the volatile dynamic in arid zones. Unfortunately the correlations, forcings and feedbacks between the relevant processes (precipitation, surface fresh water, aquifer discharge, sea water rise and desertification) in these zones remain poorly observed, modeled, let alone understood. Currently, local studies are often oriented toward understanding small-scale or regional water resources and neither benefit from nor feedback to the global monitoring of water vapor, precipitation and soil moisture in arid and semi-arid areas. Furthermore techniques to explore deep subsurface water on a large scale in desertic environments remain poorly developed making current understanding of earth paleo-environment, water assessment and exploration efforts poorly productive and out-phased with current and future needs to quantitatively understand the evolution of earth water balance. To address those deficiencies we performed a comprehensive test mapping of shallow subsurface hydro-geological structures in the western Arabic peninsula in Kuwait, using airborne low frequency sounding radars with the main objectives to characterize shallow fossil aquifers in term of depth, sizes and water freshness. In May 2011, an experimental airborne radar sounder operating at 50 MHz was deployed in Kuwait and demonstrated an ability to penetrate down to the water table ~35 m deep in Um-Al-Aish and Al-Rawdateen aquifers located on the northern part of Kuwait. In addition the radar achieved penetration into several dry sediments down to 65 m deep mapping the succession of residual gravel deposits. The obtained radargrams of several kilometers-long traced the variability in the water table depth and identified the discharge location of the Al-Rawdateen aquifer. These radar cross-sections were verified through comparisons with water wells, Transient Electromagnetic Method and Resistivity profiles. We will discuss the implication of these results for performing future airborne and orbital detailed mapping of the occurrence and spatial distribution of shallow aquifers in the most arid desert regions on Earth to understand ground water hydrology, enhance ground water flow models and provide new insights into available water resources and recent paleo-climate changes.

Since 1988, the Sultanate of Oman has experienced three outbreaks of paralytic poliomyelitis. The last outbreak occurred in December 1993 and involved two children aged 10 months and 4 1/2 years. The children had received five and four doses, respectively, of trivalent oral polio vaccine (OPV) and lived in the same village. Serum neutralizing antibody tests suggested that paralytic polio in these children was due to poor antibody response to OPV. Wild poliovirus type 1 was isolated from both patients, as well as from seven of ten close contacts of the older child, and one of eight contacts of the younger child. All contacts had received three to six doses of OPV. Genomic sequence studies indicated that the virus isolates belonged to a genotypic group prevalent in southern and western Asia, but differed markedly from virus isolated during the 1988/89 outbreak, suggesting another importation of poliovirus. In response to the outbreak, supplementary immunization with OPV was given to children <6 years of age, initially in the affected district, and subsequently to children in the whole country. This study demonstrates that immunization with three to six doses of OPV did not prevent infection with wild poliovirus. In those children with sub-optimal response to OPV, infection resulted in paralytic poliomyelitis. The outbreak remained localized in one village, indicating that the outbreak control measures were effective. PMID:11600090

This study investigated the career paths of 625 university graduates who prepared to be secondary school teachers in Oman, their assessment of their current work situation, and the extent to which their initial commitment to teaching was related to their subsequent career satisfaction and intention to remain in teaching. While nearly all graduates entered teaching, their decision was marked by ambivalence. Nearly half of the graduates reported being only somewhat or not at all committed to teaching as a career when they graduated. It also appears that initial commitment to teaching operates as an important lens through which teachers view their subsequent careers. Those initially more committed to teaching were more likely to be satisfied with the progress they made in their career, more likely to think that their current teaching position offered them opportunities for advancement, and more likely to want to remain in teaching than were graduates who had a lower initial commitment to teaching. The authors discuss both the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

This thesis examines the record of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) in light of changing fashions regarding the proper role and management of such funds in the development finance process. The key ...

...Administration Critical Infrastructure Protection and Cyber Security Trade Mission to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Clarification...participants is selected, all interested U.S. IT and cyber-security firms and trade organizations which have not...

Doha, the capital city of Qatar, has become a metropolis of disconnected inward-facing mega-projects with no regard to the remaining fabric of the city. This can be owed to the relatively short urbanization period that the ...

An important environmental concern during the first Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) was assessing exposures and potential health effects in U.S. forces exposed to the Kuwait oil fires. With only 3 weeks for planning, a Biological Surveillance Initiative (BSI) was developed and implemented for a U.S. Army unit. The BSI included blood and urine collections, questionnaire administration, and other elements during the predeployment, deployment, and post-deployment phases. Many BSI objectives were accomplished. Difficulties encountered included planning failures, loss of data and information, and difficulty in interpreting laboratory results. In order for biological surveillance initiatives to provide useful information for future deployments where environmental exposures may be a concern, meaningful, detailed, and realistic planning and preparation must occur long before the deployment is initiated. PMID:21916331

Occupational therapy theory and philosophy are broadly considered to be based on Western cultural values. In contrast, the application of theory and practice in the Sultanate of Oman, historically based on traditional Middle Eastern and Islamic cultural values, provides a case exemplar, which highlights both paradigmatic differences and cultural dissonance. Drawing on the experiences of occupational therapists working in Oman, this study found that the application of therapeutic goals aimed at patient independence and autonomy were difficult to achieve in an environment where family duty and responsibility for care were highly prized. Dressing and cooking assessments were challenging, and issues related to gender proved problematic. Therapists found the need to adapt practice to acknowledge these differences, and to adopt pragmatic problem-solving strategies, without resolving the underpinning philosophical contradictions. Occupational therapy in Oman is under-researched; further work is needed to confirm the cross-cultural validity of specific assessments and practice models. PMID:22674836

The Sultanate of Oman is an arid country with rapidly developing economy and a high population growth rate. Together, they have increased the demand for freshwater. In response, the Sultanate has developed well fields and installed desalination plants across Oman. Albeit meeting the demand for freshwater, such investments are straining the country’s financial and natural resources. Experience in several arid and semi-arid countries indicates that greywater can be a cost-effective alternative source of water. However, lack of data on this aspect has been a barrier to arrive at such a conclusion until recently. Ahmed et al. (2003), Jamrah et al (2004) and Prathapar et al. (2004) have recently collected relevant data, which reveal that there are several factors constraining treated greywater reuse in Oman. They are categorized as quantity, quality, financial, legal, social and institutional constraints in this paper. Possible means of overcoming these constraints are also discussed.

Myiasis, the invasion of live human tissue by larvae of Diptera, is reported in the nasopharynx and a leg wound in two patients who were hospitalized for more than 72 hours in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Teaching Hospital in Kuwait City, Kuwait. On the fourth and fifth days after a 10-year-old Kuwaiti boy was admitted to the hospital intensive care unit in

Gamma-ray spectrometric measurements were performed on sediment samples from the coast of Kuwait to study the concentration of natural as well as man-made radioactive sources. The coast of Kuwait, which extends for some 170km is mainly soft sedimentary colitic limestones or sandstones, overlaid in many areas with beach or wind-blown sand. In the north, suspended material from the Shatt Al-Arab

Reliability techniques are increasingly finding application in design. The special design conditions for the deep water sections of the Oman India Pipeline dictate their use since the experience basis for application of standard deterministic techniques is inadequate. The paper discusses the reliability analysis as applied to the Oman India Pipeline, including selection of a collapse model, characterization of the variability in the parameters that affect pipe resistance to collapse, and implementation of first and second order reliability analyses to assess the probability of pipe failure. The reliability analysis results are used as the basis for establishing the pipe wall thickness requirements for the pipeline.

Two LNG projects in the Middle East, one in Oman and the other in Yemen, are due on stream at the turn of the century--each the largest single project ever put together in its country. Officials described their projects at a yearend 1996 conference in Paris by Institut Francais du Petrole and Petrostrategies. The Oman project develops gas reserves, does gas processing, and transports the gas 360 km to a liquefaction plant to be built on the coast. The Yemen project involves a liquefaction plant and an export terminal.

Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis (GIB) is a rare fungal infection with few reported cases worldwide. We report here the first case diagnosed in Oman in a previously healthy 5-year-old Omani female child who had been thought initially to have an abdominal malignancy. The case was referred to the Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman, in July 2012. She was treated successfully with surgical resection and prolonged antifungal therapy (voriconazole). Physicians, including clinicians, radiologists and pathologists, should have a high index of suspicion for GIB when a patient presents with an abdominal mass and fever. PMID:24790749

Increasing demand for water to develop non-agricultural activities is causing water to be diverted to high-value uses at the expense of irrigation. However, agriculture provides a flow of amenities in the desert environment which are not either accounted or paid. Oases are spread all over the globe and are threatened for various reasons among which is the high pressure of demand for fresh water. This paper estimates the recreation use value of an oasis. The paper is based on the Misfat Al-Abryeen oasis in Oman, a man-made area of streams and woodland. The travel cost method is used through an on-site questionnaire distributed to 230 visitors. Around 75% of visitors to the oasis also visited other historical or ecological sites during the same day-trip. The econometric model is estimated using negative binomial regression with endogenous stratification. The average consumer surplus, or benefit, from visiting Misfat Al-Abryeen is estimated at US 104.74 per individual per trip. The total social benefit from this oasis is estimated at 366,590 per year. These results underscore the importance of the role played by irrigated agriculture in the provision of amenity services for the tourism sector in a desert environment. The sustainability of the irrigation activity depends on the recognition of the recreation role of oases and the transfer of part of these benefits to the farmers who maintain the irrigation system. The implementation of an entrance fee to the oasis might increase farmers' profit by 6-21%.

Increasing demand for water to develop non-agricultural activities is causing water to be diverted to high-value uses at the expense of irrigation. However, agriculture provides a flow of amenities in the desert environment which are not either accounted or paid. Oases are spread all over the globe and are threatened for various reasons among which is the high pressure of demand for fresh water. This paper estimates the recreation use value of an oasis. The paper is based on the Misfat Al-Abryeen oasis in Oman, a man-made area of streams and woodland. The travel cost method is used through an on-site questionnaire distributed to 230 visitors. Around 75% of visitors to the oasis also visited other historical or ecological sites during the same day-trip. The econometric model is estimated using negative binomial regression with endogenous stratification. The average consumer surplus, or benefit, from visiting Misfat Al-Abryeen is estimated at US$ 104.74 per individual per trip. The total social benefit from this oasis is estimated at $366,590 per year. These results underscore the importance of the role played by irrigated agriculture in the provision of amenity services for the tourism sector in a desert environment. The sustainability of the irrigation activity depends on the recognition of the recreation role of oases and the transfer of part of these benefits to the farmers who maintain the irrigation system. The implementation of an entrance fee to the oasis might increase farmers' profit by 6-21%. PMID:21519874

Kuwait is an important producer of oil and gas. Its rapid socio-economic growth has been characterized by increasing population, high rates of urbanization, and substantial industrialization, which is transforming it into a large big energy consumer as well. In addition to urbanization, climatic conditions have played an important function in increasing demand for electricity in Kuwait. Electricity for thermal cooling has become essential in the hot desert climate, and its use has developed rapidly along with the economic development, urbanization, and population growth. This study examines the long-term wind and solar resources over the Kuwait to determine the feasibility of these resources as potential sustainable and renewable energy sources. The ultimate goal of this research is to help identify the potential role of renewable energy in Kuwait. This study will examine the drivers and requirements for the deployment of these energy sources and their possible integration into the electricity generation sector to illustrate how renewable energy can be a suitable resource for power production in Kuwait and to illustrate how they can also be used to provide electricity for the country. For this study, data from sixteen established stations monitored by the meteorological department were analyzed. A solar resource map was developed that identifies the most suitable locations for solar farm development. A range of different relevant variables, including, for example, electric networks, population zones, fuel networks, elevation, water wells, streets, and weather stations, were combined in a geospatial analysis to predict suitable locations for solar farm development and placement. An analysis of recommendations, future energy targets and strategies for renewable energy policy in Kuwait are then conducted. This study was put together to identify issues and opportunities related to renewable energy in the region, since renewable energy technologies are still limited in Kuwait because, compared to the cost of conventional electricity in Kuwait, the cost of renewable energy-based electricity is very high. However, the abundant availability of the solar and wind energy as clean renewable energy in Kuwait offers the country significant opportunities to become a leader in the renewable energy sector. In a competition with subsidized oil and gas energy, the success of renewable energy technologies in Kuwait will be subject to the ability of the state to introduce supporting policies, including financial incentives and a regulatory framework to encourage deployment and reduce cost.

Background The rapid growth of Qatar in the last two decades has been associated with an enormous expansion of building programs in its cities and in the provision of new service industries. This in turn has attracted a large influx of immigrant workers seeking employment in jobs associated with food handling, domestic service and the building industry. Many of these immigrants come from countries in the tropics and subtropics where intestinal parasitic infections are common. Methods We analyzed intestinal parasitic infections recorded in 2008 among immigrant and long-term resident workers in Doha city, Qatar (n = 1538). Stool examinations were carried out at the Hamad Medical Corporation and at the Medical Commission in Doha using standard procedures. Results Overall, 21.5% of subjects were infected with at least one of the species recorded (8 helminth and 4 protozoan species; the highest prevalence was for hookworms = 8.3%) and there were strong regional effects on prevalence of helminths, with subjects from North East Africa and Nepal showing particularly high prevalence. Most helminths declined in prevalence in subjects that acquired residency status in Qatar, especially among female subjects, but there was a marked exception among male Nepalese workers, who continued to harbour helminth infections (notably hookworms) after they became residents. Contrary to all other regional groups the prevalence of Giardia duodenalis was higher among Nepalese residents compared with new arrivals, while Blastocystis hominis infections were more common among residents of all regions, and especially among North East Africans. Conclusions Our analysis has identified male Nepalese workers as a particular risk group continuing to harbour hookworm infection and G. duodenalis as residents, and subjects from North East Africa are as particularly likely to acquire B. hominis infection after settling in the country. These conclusions have important implications for the health authorities in Qatar. PMID:22053720

Purpose – This paper seeks to focus on identifying the need for education to enhance awareness of the e-mail phishing threat as the most effective way to reduce the risk of e-mail phishing in one of the fastest growing economies in the world, the State of Qatar. Design\\/methodology\\/approach – A survey comprising a questionnaire and interviews was used to investigate

Ready-to-eat meals, such as pizzas and filled rolls, purchased from “take-away” outlets in Qatar were found to contain sufficient protein in the form of meat, fish or cheese to supply approximately 50 per cent of the recommended daily intake (RDI) for a young adult male. Sufficient energy to utilise this protein was provided in the form of associated fat or

Background During the past three decades, Oman has made significant progress in controlling TB within it's borders. However, the national TB control program elimination target has yet to be reached. This study aims to explore the perceived roles played by the immigrant population and the private health sector in relation to TB control in Oman. Methods We conducted seventeen interviews with different health care providers. The verbatim transcripts were processed using content analysis. Results Three main themes emerged. Firstly the threat of repatriation faced by underprivileged expatriates, secondly the criticized and forgotten private health sector as a key player and thirdly the user and provider barriers faced by Omani patients in the Omani public health system. Conclusions The study has identified some of the challenges and barriers to TB control in Oman. These challenges are mainly related to unintended negative consequences arising from the current repatriation policy of immigrants and to and the lack of involvement of the private sector in TB control. TB control strategies designed to address these challenges are needed, for Oman to reach its TB elimination targets. PMID:20637062

The continental margin off the Makran coast of Iran and Pakistan is an excellent example of active deformation of sediments at a compressive plate boundary. Seismic reflection profiles across the margin suggest that relatively flat-lying sediments from the Oman abyssal plain are being scraped off the Arabian plate and accreted onto the Eurasian plate in a series of tightly folded

Several factors such as demographic population structure, economic growth rate and change of life style have significant influence on water demand. This paper outlines the problem of water scarcity in Oman, in particular the use of certain economic instruments such as metering, consumption tariff and water markets to manage water resources for both domestic and agricultural uses. An interesting finding

Centuries ago, water scarcity in Oman led to the development of a system of water allocation based on water rights, the falaj. Both the existence of water rights and the management system largely explain why the falaj system has continued to exist for centuries. This paper addresses the falaj from a management point of view to show what makes this

Catastrophic floods and prolonged periods of drought are the main ‘water’ challenges facing Oman. So the inhabitants have had to resort to ingenious ways of utilising the available-water resources, such as through building falaj systems and the optimal selection of suitable crops, but nevertheless when exposed to extremely-dry weather conditions, temporary and even permanent migration is still the only option

This study is aimed at finding the prospects of wind energy utilization for decentralized applications in Sultanate of Oman. The study is based on an economical comparison for small power applications between diesel engine generators sets and wind turbines at the selected sites. It is for representative rural areas where wind regime is high. Also, the study extends to carrying

This study investigates the perceived barriers to adopting information and communication technologies (ICT) in Omani higher education. One hundred faculty members from four different departments at the College of Applied Sciences in Oman participated in the study. The participants took a survey, which was developed based on the Western literature.…

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the issues of information technology (IT) disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity planning (BCP) in light of Cyclone Gonu in Oman. Design\\/methodology\\/approach – The paper includes a survey of the latest literature on the subject, then documents a study of public and private sector organizations together with their DR and BCP practices. Findings

Recent advances in medical technology and key discoveries in biomedical research have the potential to improve human health in an unprecedented fashion. As a result, many of the Arab Gulf countries, particularly Qatar are devoting increasing resources toward establishing centers of excellence in biomedical research. However, there are challenges that must be overcome. The low profile of private medical institutions and their negligible endowments in the region are examples of such challenges. Business-type government controlled universities are not the solution for overcoming the challenges facing higher education and research programs in the Middle East. During the last decade, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development has attracted six branch campuses of American Institutions of higher learning to the Education City in Qatar, a 2500-acre area, which is rapidly becoming a model of integrating higher education and research in the region. Not-for profit, time-tested education institutions from abroad in public-private partnership with local organizations offer favorable conditions to build robust research programs in the region. Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) of Cornell University is an example such an institution. It is the first and only medical school in Qatar. WCMC-Q's interwoven education, research and public health based framework lays a sturdy foundation for developing and implementing translational medicine research programs of importance to the State of Qatar and Middle Eastern nations. This approach is yielding positive results. Discoveries from this program should influence public policy in a positive fashion toward reducing premature mortality and morbidity due to diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer, examples of health conditions commonly encountered in Qatar. PMID:21272322

This radar image includes the city of Salalah, the second largest city in Oman. It illustrates how topography determines local climate and, in turn, where people live. This area on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula is characterized by a narrow coastal plain (bottom) facing southward into the Arabian Sea, backed by the steep escarpment of the Qara Mountains. The backslope of the Qara Mountains slopes gently into the vast desert of the Empty Quarter (at top). This area is subject to strong monsoonal storms from the Arabian Sea during the summer, when the mountains are enveloped in a sort of perpetual fog. The moisture from the monsoon enables agriculture on the Salalah plain, and also provides moisture for Frankincense trees growing on the desert (north) side of the mountains. In ancient times, incense derived from the sap of the Frankincense tree was the basis for an extremely lucrative trade. Radar and topographic data are used by historians and archaeologists to discover ancient trade routes and other significant ruins.

This image combines two types of data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. The image brightness corresponds to the strength of the radar signal reflected from the ground, while colors show the elevation as measured by SRTM. Colors range from green at the lowest elevations to brown at the highest elevations. This image contains about 1070 meters (3500 feet) of total relief. White speckles on the face of some of the mountains are holes in the data caused by steep terrain. These will be filled using coverage from an intersecting pass.

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), launched on February 11,2000, uses the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. The mission is designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, an additional C-band imaging antenna and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) and the German (DLR) and Italian (ASI) space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise,Washington, DC.

Since 1985, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has been exploring for gas on behalf of the Government of Oman under a ten-year agreement signed in June 1984. The aim of the one-rig programme was to find additional non-associated gas reserves (3 TCF) to meet domestic energy requirements for a minimum of 40 years, for which the available reserves at that time (5.6 TCF) were insufficient. Initial results of the campaign, which principally targeted the Permian Khuff Formation, were disappointing, analogues to the major accumulations of the Arabian Gulf failing to materialise. During the second half of the programme, therefore, the strategy was revised to address the prospectivity of higher risk/higher reward plays recognised at greater depths. Well Saih Nihayda-24, drilled in 1989, found gas/condensate-bearing reservoirs in Cambro/Ordovician sandstones of the Andam Formation below 4000 metres. This discovery, in a seismically poorly defined anticline, sparked an intensive effort of 2D, and later 3D, long cable seismic acquisition. This led in 1991 to additional major gas/condensate finds in Saih Rawl and Barik, and a dedicated two-year two-rig appraisal campaign has since proven up sufficient reserves to support an LNG gas export scheme. The ten-year programme has more than tripled Oman`s non-associated gas expectation reserves to some 22 TCF, exceeding-the target more than five-fold. Significant potential for further gas discoveries identified in both North and South Oman provides encouragement for continued successful gas exploration in the future.

More than 3.5 billion bbl of oil in place have so far been discovered in reservoirs of the Al Khlata Formation of the Permian-Carboniferous lower Haushi Group in south Oman. Glacially striated pavements and boulders in exposures at Al Khlata in east-central Oman confirmed previous interpretations that the formation is, at least partly, of glacial origin. Core and wireline-log data from some 500 wells that penetrate the formation show that glacial facies are widespread in the subsurface. Shales with varvelike laminations and dropstones are present in two main layers, which extend over the larger part of south Oman and are perhaps the most diagnostic facies. Diamictites are also widespread, and some, which can be correlated as sheets over thousands of square kilometers, are interpreted as true tillites. Other diamictites are interbedded with shales with varvelike laminations or unbedded siltstones and are interpreted as subaqueous glacial deposits. Ten sedimentary facies have been described in cores and outcrops. An important result of this study is a formal scheme to interpret these facies from wireline logs using quantitative analysis of density and neutron logs and qualitative information from other logs. Lateral facies relationships are complicated by syndepositional salt withdrawal and dissolution, paleorelief on the basal unconformity, and intraformational unconformities beneath regionally extensive tillites. At least three glacial phases can be recognized: an early phase, represented only by erosional remnants of diamictites, and two later phases, the last of which extended over the whole of Oman south of the Oman Mountains. Deglaciation is represented by a regional shale bed sharply overlying the diamictite sheet of this last glaciation. 19 figures, 1 table.

The invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces in August 1990, has affected the environment of the Gulf region and of Kuwait in particular. The environmental consequences of military operations and burning of oil wells in 1991 severely affected the air and the marine environment in addition to the terrestrial ecosystems in Kuwait. The air environment received hundreds of thousands of

This retrospective study analyzed the temporal association between socioeconomic development indices and improved maternal, neonatal, and perinatal survival in the State of Qatar over a period of 35 years (1974–2008). We explored the association between reduction in poverty, improvement in maternal education, and perinatal health care on the one hand, and increased maternal, neonatal, and perinatal survival on the other hand. Yearly mortality data was ascertained from the perinatal and neonatal mortality registers of the Women’s Hospital and the national database in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha. A total of 323,014 births were recorded during the study period. During these 35 years, there was a remarkable decline (P < 0.001) in Qatar’s neonatal mortality rate from 26.27/1000 in 1974 to 4.4/1000 in 2008 and in the perinatal mortality rate from 44.4/1000 in 1974 to 10.58/1000 in 2008. Qatar’s maternal mortality rate remained zero during 1993, 1995, and then in 1998–2000. The maternal mortality rate was 11.6/100,000 in 2008. For the rest of the years it has been approximately 10/100,000. Across the study period, the reduction in poverty, increase in maternal education, and improved perinatal health care were temporally associated with a significant improvement in maternal, neonatal, and perinatal survival. The total annual births increased five-fold during the study period, with no negative impact on survival rates. Neonatal mortality rates in Qatar have reached a plateau since 2005. We also conducted a substudy to assess the association between improvements in survival rates in relation to health care investment. For this purpose, we divided the study period into two eras, ie, era A (1974–1993) during which major health care investment was in community-based, low-cost interventions, and era B (1994–2008) during which the major health care investment was in high-technology institutional interventions. Although from 1974–1993 (era A) the per capita health expenditure increased by only 19% as compared with a 137% increase in 1994–2008 (era B). The decline in neonatal and perinatal mortality rates was three times steeper during era A than in era B. The decline in neonatal and perinatal mortality rates was also significant (P < 0.001) when analyzed separately for era A and era B. We concluded that across the 35-year period covered by our study, the reduction in poverty, increased maternal education, and improved perinatal health care were temporally associated with improved maternal, neonatal, and perinatal survival in the State of Qatar. From the subanalysis of era A and era B, we concluded that low-cost, community-based interventions, on the background of socioeconomic development, have a stronger impact on maternal, neonatal, and perinatal survival as compared with high-cost institutional interventions. PMID:21151678

Evaporation is an important parameter for many projects related to hydrology and water resources systems. This paper constitutes the first study conducted in Kuwait to obtain empirical relations for the estimation of daily and monthly pan evaporation as functions of available meteorological data of temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. The data used here for the modeling are daily measurements of substantial continuity coverage, within a period of 17 years between January 1993 and December 2009, which can be considered representative of the desert climate of the urban zone of the country. Multiple linear regression technique is used with a procedure of variable selection for fitting the best model forms. The correlations of evaporation with temperature and relative humidity are also transformed in order to linearize the existing curvilinear patterns of the data by using power and exponential functions, respectively. The evaporation models suggested with the best variable combinations were shown to produce results that are in a reasonable agreement with observation values. PMID:23226984

Dedolomitization of a dolocrete profile hosted in Mio-Pleistocene siliciclastic deposits in the area of Kuwait City, Arabian Gulf was investigated. Dolocrete dolomite crystals vary considerably in size, shape and internal structure; however, they are mostly zoned. Zonation is usually due to the alteration of cloudy and clear zones. The cloudy zones, which are mostly formed of disordered metastable dolomite, are more susceptible to dedolomitization than the stable, well ordered clear zones. Two modes of dedolomitization were recognized; the first involves complete dissolution of the metastable dolomite followed by precipitation of intracrystalline cavity-filling calcite. The second is a pseudomorphic replacement of dolomite by calcite. This replacement takes place by the simultaneous dissolution of dolomite and precipitation of calcite in such a manner that the original dolomite fabrics are inherited in the dedolomite. Exposed and near-surface dolocrete profile (less than 5 m deep) are almost completely dedolomitized and altered to secondary calcrete whereas subsurface profiles are slightly dedolomitized. Dedolomitization of the sub surface dolocrete profiles may indicate the effect of flushing by fresh groundwater; which flows from west to east, whereas the alteration of the exposed dolocrete profile could be attributed to be an effect of meteoric water. A new mode of calcrete genesis by dedolomitization and/or complete calcitization of precursor dolocrete is suggested.

Evaporation is an important parameter for many projects related to hydrology and water resources systems. This paper constitutes the first study conducted in Kuwait to obtain empirical relations for the estimation of daily and monthly pan evaporation as functions of available meteorological data of temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. The data used here for the modeling are daily measurements of substantial continuity coverage, within a period of 17 years between January 1993 and December 2009, which can be considered representative of the desert climate of the urban zone of the country. Multiple linear regression technique is used with a procedure of variable selection for fitting the best model forms. The correlations of evaporation with temperature and relative humidity are also transformed in order to linearize the existing curvilinear patterns of the data by using power and exponential functions, respectively. The evaporation models suggested with the best variable combinations were shown to produce results that are in a reasonable agreement with observation values. PMID:23226984

Implementation of adequate measures to assess and monitor droughts is recognized as a major matter challenging researchers involved in water resources management. The objective of this study is to assess the hydrologic drought characteristics from the historical rainfall records of Kuwait with arid environment by employing the criterion of Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). A wide range of monthly total precipitation data from January 1967 to December 2009 is used for the assessment. The computation of the SPI series is performed for intermediate- and long-time scales of 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. The drought severity and duration are also estimated. The bivariate probability distribution for these two drought characteristics is constructed by using Clayton copula. It has been shown that the drought SPI series for the time scales examined have no systematic trend component but a seasonal pattern related to rainfall data. The results are used to perform univariate and bivariate frequency analyses for the drought events. The study will help evaluating the risk of future droughts in the region, assessing their consequences on economy, environment, and society, and adopting measures for mitigating the effect of droughts. PMID:25386598

Theories about the impact of the information revolution on the developing world stress the inevitability of democratization and economic privatization. This article tests some of these predictions in light of ethnographic practice using Kuwait as a case study. By studying the development of an active Internet culture in Kuwait and the persistence of traditional political and economic practices, this article

Objective: To assess the compliance with hand hygiene guidelines among nursing staff in secondary care hospitals in Kuwait. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through direct observation using the Lewisham observation tool and self-administered questionnaire in six major public secondary care hospitals in Kuwait. Only patient care activities that are described as ‘dirty contacts’ by the Fulkerson scale

Oman has an arid climate with an annual average rainfall less than 100 mm. Agriculture production in Oman is almost fully dependent on irrigation in which more than one third of irrigation water is supplied by afl?j. Prior to the 1970s, falaj (singular of afl?j) systems were the backbone of agriculture in the northern parts of Oman. There are three

In an effort to examine the potential of exposure to soot from the 1991 oil fires in the Kuwait desert for inducing genetic effects we studied the in vitro genotoxicity of this materials. Air particulates isolated near the Kuwait oil fires were studied using three assays. Dose-dependent increases were observed for both sister chromatid exchanges in human peripheral blood lymphocytes and mutation at the hprt locus in the metabolically competent human lymphoblast cell line AHH-1. Similar magnitudes of response were seen using these two assays when testing a standard air particulate sample which had been isolated from the Washington, DC, area. Using the [sup 32]P-postlabeling assay, no increase in DNA adduct formation was observed in AHH-1 cells treated with particulates isolated from sampling in Kuwait. 18 refs., 4 figs.

U-Th age dating and stable isotope measurements of speleothems from Hoti Cave in northern Oman yield paleoclimate information from the region extending to 125 ka. The results (1) provide further confirmation of an early Holocene wet period in southern Arabia extending from some time prior to 9.7 ka and ending at 6.2 ka; (2) demonstrate a second period of wetness

First evidence of prehistoric coastal adaptations along the Arabian shores of the Indian Ocean is being recovered at Qurum in the Sultanate of Oman. The cluster of shell?middens currently excavated relates to a small population of fishermen of the 5th and 4th millennia B.C. having a strongly maritime?oriented culture. The economy was based on local resource intensification, but stock?breeding of

Re-examination in February 1986 of areas studied by the author in 1966 and 1967 revealed rapid rates of sedimentation and diagenesis along the east coast of the Qatar Peninsula. At Ras UmSa on the northeast side of Qatar, a series of chenier-like beaches and curved spits is building southward under the influence of longshore currents. Beach and spit growth increasingly protects the shoreline and allows tidal flats to form in their lee. As these spits accrete, they become armored on their lagoonal side by beachrock formation. In the last 20 years a spit approximately 1/2 km long has grown, and beachrock has already armored its recurved lagoonal side. At Umm Said on the southeast side of Qatar, seawardly accreting barchan dunes composed of quartz sand have built a 40-km long, 10-km wide sabkha as thick as 30 m. Aerial and ground photographs show that certain dunes near the seaward edge of the sabkha have migrated into the sea and have contributed to shoreline accretion. The observed rate of dune migration suggests that within approximately 100 years the remaining quartz sands are depleted and blown into the sea because there is no replenishment of the dune field. Subsequently, the area reverts to one of carbonate deposition. Fine-grained dolomite is presently precipitating in interstitial brines in the landwardmost portions of this unusual sabkha. In the geologic record, such a deposit would be an anomalous, porous and permeable, cross-bedded, linear, 30-m thick, dolomite-cemented sandstones body encased in carbonate sediments. A modern model such as the one at Umm Said can provide useful clues for determining the origin of similar deposits in ancient rocks.

Background The incidence of chronic illnesses is increasing globally. Non-adherence to medications and other medication-related problems are common among patients receiving long-term medications. Medication use review (MUR) is a service provision with an accredited pharmacist undertaking structured, adherence-centered reviews with patients receiving multiple medications. MUR services are not yet available in community pharmacies in Qatar. Objective The current study aims to evaluate community pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and perception towards establishing MUR as an extended role in patient care. Setting Private community pharmacies in Qatar including chains and independent pharmacies. Methodology A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among licensed community pharmacists from December 2012 to January 2013. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics. Main outcome measures Knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to MUR concept and services. Results A total of 123 participants responded to the survey (response rate 56 %). The mean total knowledge score was 71.4 ± 14.7 %. An overwhelming proportion of the participants (97 %) were able to identify the scope of MUR in relation to chronic illnesses and at enhancing the quality of pharmaceutical care. Furthermore, 80 % of the respondents were able to identify patients of priority for inclusion in an MUR program. However, only 43 % of the participants knew that acute medical conditions were not the principal focus of an MUR service, while at least 97 % acknowledged that the provision of MUR services is a great opportunity for an extended role of community pharmacists and that MUR makes excellent use of the pharmacist's professional skills in the community. The participants generally reported concerns about time, dedicated consultation area, and support staff as significant barriers towards MUR implementation. Conclusion This study suggests that community pharmacists in Qatar had sufficient knowledge about the concept of MUR and its scope, but there were still important deficiencies that warrant further education. The findings have important implications on policy and practice pertaining to the implementation of MUR as an extended role of pharmacists and as part of Qatar's National Health Strategy to move primary health care forward. PMID:25293711

Background The rapid socio-economic development in Qatar in the last two decades has encouraged a mass influx of immigrant workers, the majority of whom originate from countries with low socio-economic levels, inadequate medical care and many are known to carry patent intestinal helminth and protozoan infections on arrival in Qatar. Some eventually acquire residency status but little is known about whether they continue to harbour infections. Methods We examined 9208 hospital records of stool samples that had been analysed for the presence of intestinal helminth and protozoan ova/cysts, over the period 2005-2008, of subjects from 28 nationalities, but resident in Qatar and therefore not recent arrivals in the country. Results Overall 10.2% of subjects were infected with at least one species, 2.6% with helminths and 8.0% with protozoan species. Although hookworms, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Hymenolepis nana were observed, the majority of helminth infections (69%) were caused by hookworms, and these were largely aggregated among 20.0-39.9 year-old male subjects from Nepal. The remaining cases of helminth infection were mostly among Asian immigrants. Protozoan infections were more uniformly spread across immigrants from different regions when prevalence was calculated on combined data, but this disguised three quite contrasting underlying patterns for 3 taxa of intestinal protozoa. Blastocystis hominis, Giardia duodenalis and non-pathogenic amoebae were all acquired in childhood, but whereas prevalence of B. hominis rose to a plateau and then even further among the elderly, prevalence of G. duodenalis fell markedly in children aged 10 and older, and stayed low (< 2%) gradually falling even further in the elderly. In contrast the prevalence of non-pathogenic amoebae (Entamoeba coli, E. hartmanni, Endolimax nana and Iodamoeba buetschlii) peaked in the 30.0-39.9 age group and only then dropped to very low values among the oldest subjects examined. A worrying trend in respect of both helminth and protozoan parasites was the increase in prevalence over the period 2005-2008, in helminth infections prevalence increasing 2-3 fold by 2008, and in protozoan infections by 1.5-2.0 fold. Conclusions We suggest that helminth infections are probably acquired abroad when immigrants visit their home villages, whilst protozoan infections are reinforced by transmission in Qatar, possibly in the poorer areas of the state where immigrant workers live. We discuss the significance of these findings and emphasize that they have clear implications for the health authorities. PMID:20946623

A rapid assessment survey of the coral reefs of the Sultanate of Oman was conducted by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Environment during the first half of 1996. The survey revealed new information on the distribution pattern of corals in Oman and identified impacts, threats and potential threats to coral communities for the purpose of preparation of a National Coral Reef Management Plan (Phase One of the implementation of a National Coastal Zone Management Plan). Impacts on coral reefs in Oman were found to be attributable to both natural and human causes, resulting in significant and widespread degradation. Damage resulting from fisheries activities was the most commonly recorded human impact, with the most severe effects. Other human impacts resulted from coastal construction, recreational activities, oil pollution and eutrophication. Predation of corals by Acanthaster planci, damage caused by storms, coral diseases and temperature-related stress were the most commonly recorded natural impacts to coral reefs. Further minor natural impacts were attributable to siltation, rock falls and predation by a corallivorous gastropod (Drupella sp.). Significant differences between different areas of the country were found in terms of human impacts on coral reefs and these were related to coastal demography and human activity. Eighty per cent of sites studied were recorded to have been affected by human impacts to some degree. Impacts attributable to fisheries activities were found at 69% of the sites. Lost or abandoned gill nets were found to affect coral reefs at 49% of sites throughout Oman and accounted for 70% of all severe human impacts. Lost gill nets were also found to have a negative affect on fisheries resources and other marine wildlife. Observations of the behaviour of gill nets on coral reefs suggested a predictable pattern of damage over time and a significant increase in damage intensity during storms. Fishing nets were found to act selectively, causing greater damage to certain coral communities than to others. Results of the study are discussed in relation to management of coral reef areas in Oman.

Objectives There is a dearth of studies examining the relationship between research output and other socio-demographic indicators in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). The three interrelated aims of this study were, first, to ascertain the number of biomedical publications in the GCC from 1970 to 2010; second, to establish the rate of publication according population size during the same period and, third, to gauge the relationship between the number of publications and specific socio-economic parameters. Methods: The Medline database was searched in October 2010 by affiliation, year and publication type from 1970 to 2010. Data obtained were normalised to the number of publications per million of the population, gross domestic product, and the number of physicians in each country. Results: The number of articles from the GCC region published over this 40 year period was 25,561. Saudi Arabia had the highest number followed by Kuwait, UAE, and then Oman. Kuwait had the highest profile of publication when normalised to population size, followed by Qatar. Oman is the lowest in this ranking. Overall, the six countries showed a rising trend in publication numbers with Oman having a significant increase from 1990 to 2005. There was a significant relationship between the number of physicians and the number of publications. Conclusion: The research productivity from GGC has experienced complex and fluctuating growth in the past 40 years. Future prospects for increasing research productivity are discussed with particular reference to the situation in Oman. PMID:22375257

...Steel Pipe From India, Oman, The United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam Determinations On...steel pipe from India, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam, provided for in...steel pipe from India, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam were...

...between the United States and Oman, with the goal of building...indicative actions the U.S. and Oman have undertaken in these areas...includes technical assistance to Oman on marine turtle conservation and cooperation on sustainable tourism in protected areas. The...

Modeling the seismic signature of structural data from the Oman Ophiolite: Can a mantle diapir diapirs mapped in the Oman ophiolite and compare these results with those of active source seismic anisotropy that are consistent with Oman diapirs of different size. Forward calculations of the delay time

Post-rift seaward downwarping at passive margins: new insights from southern Oman using The plateau edge of southern Oman is used as a natural laboratory to independently test apatite fission, Oman INTRODUCTION Low-temperature thermochronology (LTT) is commonly used to detect the depth

Running Header and front cover: "Post-obduction evolution of Oman" Late Cretaceous to Paleogene Post-obduction extension and subsequent Neogene compression in the Oman Mountains Marc Fournier, Claude onto the Arabian Platform in the Late Cretaceous, north Oman underwent several phases of extension

Changing moisture sources over the last 330,000 years in Northern Oman from fluid 27 August 2002 Abstract Speleothems from Hoti Cave in northern Oman provide a record of continental in Oman has shown that northern and southern moisture sources are isotopically distinct. Combined

Formation and exhumation of blueschists and eclogites from NE Oman: new perspectives from Rb of Earth Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, and Geology Department, Idaho State University, USA. Our new results lead us to conclude that high-pressure metamorphism of the Oman margin took place

EPSL ELSEVIER Earth and Planetary Science Letters 144(19961239-250 Magma chambers in the Oman studies in the Oman ophiolite, we suggest that the accretion of the lower crust may not proceed entirely unit at all scales. If this interpretation is correct, the gabbro section of the oceanic crust in Oman

COMMENT Comment on ``dating the geologic history of Oman's Semail ophiolite: insights from U of the Semail ophiolite of Oman. The new UÂ­Pb data concern the eclogites preserved at the margin of the Arabian' geochemical signature has been questioned (e.g., Hofmann 2004), especially in the case of Oman (Godard et al

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the literature about the environment as one of the victims of war throughout the history of mankind. Kuwait's environment, as a victim of the scorched-earth tactic carried out by the retreating Iraqi forces in 1991, is also reviewed. The probable scenarios of an environmental threat in Iraq as a result

In the period September 1986 to August 1987 fish were captured once a month, using an otter trawl, from the intertidal and subtidal regions of Sulaibikhat Bay, Kuwait. Correlation analysis revealed that numbers were not directly related to temperature at the time of sampling. The recruitment of large numbers of young of the year Liza carinata (Valenciennes) during March was

A new snapping shrimp, Alpheus lutosus spec. nov., is described from the intertidal mudflats of Bubiyan Island, northern Kuwait, south of the vast Shatt-Al-Arab delta. The new species appears to be closely related to Alpheus hoplocheles Coutière, 1897 from similar estuarine habitats in China and Japan, differing mainly in the absence of a sharp distolateral tooth on the palm of

The State of Kuwait is making concerted efforts to enhance greenery along its coastline. This study was conducted during 1999–2002 for identifying key soil factors associated with successful establishment and rapid growth in Avicennia marina. Based on the review of available data, repeated visits to potential sites, on-site assessment and laboratory characterization of soils, five sites (Shuwaikh, Sulaibikhat I, Sulaibikhat

When Kuwait lifted a ban on private higher education less than a decade ago, it decided that the best way to ensure the development of academically sound universities was to require all new institutions to have foreign partners. That policy has helped the country rapidly build a credible private higher-education system where none existed before.…

Purpose – Library professionals today need to acquire knowledge and skills in information and communication technology as the services of more and more libraries are now centering on information technology (IT), especially in educational institutions. Application of IT in academic environment in Kuwait has increased gradually in the recent decades. This paper is designed to measure the use of IT

Purpose – This study aims to examine perceptions of university library usage to consider factors that influence educational achievement of academic library users. Design\\/methodology\\/approach – The study uses validated questionnaires from 792 students, 143 academics and 121 administrators to measure five library factors. Three university libraries, which are based in Kuwait, were included in the questionnaire data. Findings – The

The Iran–Iraq war, followed by the Iraqi aggression against Kuwait, and the unverified use of certain chemical warfare agents (CWAs) in the Arabian Gulf region, triggered the interest of environmental scientists in the probable fate of these chemical agents within the unique arid environment of the Arabian Gulf region. These efforts were hampered by the scarcity of information and the

Kuwait, as most of the other states located along the Western shores of the Arabian Gulf, relies upon the Gulf as its main drinking water resource via desalination. In case of seawater contamination with blistering chemical warfare agents, traces of the agents and\\/or degradation products in the finished water might pose a serious health hazard. The objective of the present

] and with hygroscopic cloud seeding experiments [Bruintjes, 1999]. [3] In addition to effecting clouds through cloudInfluence of the Kuwait oil fires plume (1991) on the microphysical development of clouds Yinon on clouds and precipitation. The properties of smoke-affected and smoke-free clouds were compared

The current study aims at exploring the students' perceptions of mastering leadership concepts and critical thinking strategies implemented by faculty members in the college of education at Kuwait University, and the impact of the later on former. The data was collected using a questionnaire on a sample consisting of 411 students representing…

An Arabic version of the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes Inventory [POSHA-E; St Louis, K. O. (2005), a global instrument to measure public attitudes about stuttering. ("The ASHA Leader," 22, 2-13)] was administered to 424 Arab parents of preschool and school age children in 18 government schools across all six governorates in Kuwait. The…

On June 23, 2010, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on nuclear safeguards and other nonproliferation topics with the Kuwait National Nuclear Energy Committee (KNNEC). NNSA Administrator Thomas D'Agostino and KNNEC's Secretary General, Dr. Ahmad Bishara, signed the memorandum at a ceremony at U.S. Department of Energy headquarters in Washington.

A study of gender-related differences in cognitive style of Kuwait University students investigated the relationship between sex roles and socialization in the Kuwaiti society and hemispheric brain functions. It is concluded that both males and females need to develop right-brain functions and that child-rearing and teaching methods should be…

Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman (23° 25'N and 57°00 E), it extended along a coastline that runs around 200 km along the Gulf of Oman. By virtue of its position astride the Tropic of Cancer, Muscat city is located in an arid environment with scanty rainfall, and a dry, hot climate with high evaporation rate. The study

TRACE ELEMENT CHEMISTRY OF LUNAR HIGHLAND METEORITES FROM OMAN. Mikhail A. Nazarov1 , Svetlana I meteorites have been discovered in the Dhofar region of Oman. All of them are lunar highland brec- cias- istry of these new lunar highland meteorites: Dhofar 280, 301-310. Mineralogy and petrology of these me

170 m.y. of relatively stable passive margin sedimentation along the northern continental margin of Arabia was abruptly terminated during the Cenomanian–Turonian (?95 Ma) when the Oman continental margin collapsed and subsided rapidly (Aruma basin) to accommodate obduction of the Semail ophiolite complex and underlying thrust sheets (Haybi and Hawasina complexes) in the Oman mountains. The ophiolite was emplaced at least

Eight species of water mite were collected in 1996 during a biological survey with various sampling techniques by J. H. Stock, J. J. Vermeulen (both Amsterdam) and Abdul M. Al Nofli (Oman) from ground-water habitats of the Sultanate of Oman (Arabian peninsula). All species are recorded for the first time from the Arabian peninsula. Four species, representing the genera Monatractides,

Aliphatic hydrocarbon residues were monitored in two fish species, Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger Kanaguria) and Indian scad (Decapterus russelli) collected from local markets in three different cities in Oman. Residues were also monitored in water samples collected from two sites of the Gulf of Oman. Sampling was conducted twice, in July and again in February to have a thorough understanding of

Water pricing and water markets can play major roles in improving water allocation, encouraging users to conserve scarce water resources, and promoting improvements in productivity. Water is a precious commodity in Oman. An important source of information about water markets is available from Oman's experience with the established and well-managed falaj (plural aflaj) system in the Northern part of the

Iran, Trucial Coast, Oman, Zagros Mountains and Qiahm Island as seen from the Gemini 12 spacecraft during its 25th revolution of the earth. Gulf of Oman is at lower left edge and the Persian Gulf is large body of water in upper half of photo.

By the virtue of its position astride the tropic of cancer, Oman has an important potential of solar energy. Despite these important resources the uses of this renewable energy was limited to few and simple utilization as public lighting or park meter. Recently, the renewable energy sector in Oman is considered as a national priority to supply the future energy

Iran, Trucial Coast, Oman, Zagros Mountains and Qiahm Island as seen from the Gemini 12 spacecraft during its 25th revolution of the earth. Gulf of Oman is is large body of water at left and the Persian Gulf is body of water at right. View is looking east.

Few studies have been conducted to evaluate the wind energy potential in Oman. All of the published studies were based on ground measurements from weather stations, which provide wind data at 10m above the ground. The spatial and temporal coverage of the actual meteorological network in Oman presents some inadequacy with the need of the wind power industry in term

Both the public and private higher education sectors in Oman are undergoing rapid change in the number and type of local and foreign degrees offered. The Sultanate is developing a comprehensive quality assurance system to ensure the educational appropriateness of all degrees awarded in Oman. This paper examines the collaboration between the…

Little is known about genetic diversity and geographic origin of wheat landraces from Oman, an ancient area of wheat cultivation. The objectives of this study were to investigate the genetic relationships and levels of diversity of six wheat landraces collected in Oman with a set of 30 evenly distributed SSR markers. The total gene diversity, (HT), conserved in the three

A sequence of glacial and related deposits up to 700 m (2296 ft) thick in the lower part of the Haushi Group contains significant quantities of oil in several fields in south and central Oman and is the main exploration target along the eastern flank of the South Oman salt basin. The glacial deposits are overlain by fluvial and shallow

Located in the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula, the Sultanate of Oman is a country of few roads outside of the capital and major towns, and with much difficult terrain. This geography provides the defining economic fact of Oman: oil and natural gas. Fossil resources act as powerful economic and social motors, transporting and transforming societies - though, it should

A survey of the helminths of 658 adult cats from feral urban and suburban populations in Qatar was conducted across all months in 2006 and 2007. Six species of helminths were identified, comprising two cestodes (Taenia taeniaeformis [73.6%] and Diplopylidium acanthotetra [47.1%]) and four nematodes (Ancylostoma tubaeforme [14.7%], Physaloptera praeputialis [5.2%], Toxocara cati [0.8%] and Toxascaris leonina [0.2%]), and 83% of cats were infected with at least one of these. The average number of species harboured was 1.4 and the average worm burden was 55.8 worms/cat. The vast majority of worms (97.6%) were cestodes, nematodes being relatively rare. Prevalence and abundance of infections were analyzed, taking into consideration four factors: year (2006 and 2007), site (urban and suburban), season (winter and summer) and sex of the host. Analyses revealed marked year effects, female host bias in some species and interactions involving combination of factors, but especially sex and season of the year. The results indicate that whilst the majority of adult feral cats in Qatar carry helminth infections, infections are variable between years and subject to annual changes that may reflect climatic and other environmental changes in the rapidly developing city of Doha and its suburban surroundings. Only two species have the potential to infect humans and both were rare among the sampled cats (A. tubaeforme and T. cati). PMID:20031329

This paper describes a 2-week global study course to Doha, Qatar for graduate students in the higher education leadership and student affairs program at the University of San Diego. The course sought to develop intercultural competence with a specific focus on understanding Qatari and Middle Eastern perspectives and culture, understanding the…

The author sought to investigate the effects of inquiry-based science instruction on science achievement and interest in science of 5,120 adolescents from 85 schools in Qatar. Results of hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed the substantial positive effects of science teaching and learning with a focus on model or applications and…

The unique climate of countries located within the Arabian Peninsula, characterized by high dust concentrations, high humidity and modest cloud coverage, requires regional models to retrieve the solar irradiance components from satellite images. An artificial neural network (ANN) model has shown promising results in estimating the direct normal, diffuse horizontal and global horizontal irradiances using thermal satellite channels over the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This model is trained with six thermal channels of the SEVIRI instrument, onboard Meteosat Second Generation, along with the solar zenith angle, day number, solar time and eccentricity correction. The outputs of this model are the solar irradiance components at 15-min temporal and 3-km spatial resolutions, which are then utilized to derive the daily, monthly and yearly irradiation maps over the UAE and Qatar. The purpose of this research is to examine the temporal and spatial variations for annual irradiation maps over the UAE and Qatar, derived using the ANN approach. For the period ranging from 2008 to 2010, the year of 2009 shows the lowest annual direct normal and global horizontal irradiation, and the highest diffuse horizontal irradiation. That is due to frequent dust events which occurred during 2009. The annual direct normal irradiation maps for 2008 to 2010 show the same trend, with the higher irradiation values in the southern area of UAE and the values decreasing as the coast approaches in the northern region. For any given year, Qatar generally shows lower direct normal irradiation values than the UAE. This might be explained by higher humidity in Qatar due to its coastal climate. As for the annual diffuse horizontal irradiation maps, the lower irradiation values are observed in the southern area of UAE and along some coastal regions, with the higher values being in the middle. Qatar shows higher values in the western region, due to the increased airborne dust coming from Saudi Arabia, as opposed to the eastern coast which is along the Arabian Gulf. The annual global horizontal irradiation maps show less spatial variations. For the UAE the values consistently increase from north to south, while for Qatar lower values are observed along the eastern coast and the higher values are in the inland and southern locations. The direct normal irradiation map over the UAE and Qatar for the year 2010, which had values greater than 2008 and 2009.

The composition and spatial distribution of various petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs), comprising both aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and selected chlorinated pesticides and PCBs were measured in biota and coastal sediments from seven countries in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman (Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates). Evidence of extensive marine contamination with respect to organochlorinated compounds and PHs was not observed. Only one site, namely the BAPCO oil refinery in Bahrain, was considered to be chronically contaminated. Comparison of the results from this survey for ? DDTs and ? PCBs in rock oysters from the Gulf of Oman with similar measurements made at the same locations over the past two decades indicates a temporal trend of overall decreasing ? PCB concentrations in oysters, whereas ? DDTs levels have little changed during that period. PMID:20965523

Coastal areas of Oman are exposed to tsunami threat associated with earthquakes generated in two major subduction zones, namely Makran and Sumatra. Both zones were responsible of triggering tsunamis that reached/impacted Oman coast. The Mw8.1 earthquake event of 1945, occurred in Makran zone, has caused a tsunami that was reported to affect the coast of Oman. The Mw9.2 Indian Ocean event of 2004 triggered a tsunami that was recorded in various tide-gauges stations of Oman with wave amplitude reaching ~1.7m in the port of Salalah. This work aims to assess tsunami hazard along the Oman coast considering both deterministic and probabilistic approaches. Deterministic approach uses particular source scenarios (most credible and/or worst case) from Makran and Sumatra subduction zones and computes the tsunami coastal impact through numerical modeling of expected waveforms, maximum wave heights distribution, and site-specific inundations. While, probabilistic approach includes the contribution of small and large sources and employs the probabilistic seismic hazard assessment together with the numerical modeling to evaluate the likelihood that a certain level of tsunami threat is exceeded at a certain location of Oman coast within a certain period of time. We present deterministic results in terms of regional scale distribution of maximum wave heights, tsunami waveforms computation, and inundation maps for a selected coastal area. For probabilistic assessment, we derive 250- and 500-years probability hazard exceedance maps and hazard curves for the Oman coast. The hazard maps consist of computing the likelihood that tsunami waves exceed a specific amplitude for the entire coast of Oman, and the hazard curves describe the variation of cumulative probabilities as function of wave amplitudes at some critical coastal points. Finally, we discuss the usefulness of obtained results for tsunami mitigation in Oman. Keywords: Tsunami, Oman, Deterministic approach, Probabilistic approach.

This thesis assesses the water resource status of Kuwait and Singapore, both countries considered as water scarce. The institutional aspect of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) efforts in both countries is closely ...

In the summer of June 2011, the first case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) was observed in Oman since the last fifteen years. The first blood sample using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test were sent looking for CCHF, tick-borne encephalitis, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, Chikungunya and West Nile. All resulted as negative. The repeated serology for CCHF came strongly positive after five days from the initial negative test, and accordingly patient started on ribavirin and he responded to it. His condition improved dramatically. PMID:23772290

Background Rotavirus gastroenteritis (RGE) is the leading cause of diarrhea in young children in Oman, incurring substantial healthcare and economic burden. We propose to formally assess the potential cost effectiveness of implementing universal vaccination with a pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5) on reducing the health care burden and costs associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis (RGE) in Oman Methods A Markov model was used to compare two birth cohorts, including children who were administered the RV5 vaccination versus those who were not, in a hypothetical group of 65,500 children followed for their first 5 years of life in Oman. The efficacy of the vaccine in reducing RGE-related hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) and office visits, and days of parental work loss for children receiving the vaccine was based on the results of the Rotavirus Efficacy and Safety Trial (REST). The outcome of interest was cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained from health care system and societal perspectives. Results A universal RV5 vaccination program is projected to reduce, hospitalizations, ED visits, outpatient visits and parental work days lost due to rotavirus infections by 89%, 80%, 67% and 74%, respectively. In the absence of RV5 vaccination, RGE-related societal costs are projected to be 2,023,038 Omani Rial (OMR) (5,259,899 United States dollars [USD]), including 1,338,977 OMR (3,481,340 USD) in direct medical costs. However, with the introduction of RV5, direct medical costs are projected to be 216,646 OMR (563,280 USD). Costs per QALY saved would be 1,140 OMR (2,964 USD) from the health care payer perspective. An RV5 vaccination program would be considered cost saving, from the societal perspective. Conclusions Universal RV5 vaccination in Oman is likely to significantly reduce the health care burden and costs associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis and may be cost-effective from the payer perspective and cost saving from the societal perspective. PMID:24941946

During the past 35 years Oman has undergone a rapid socioeconomic and epidemiological transition leading to a steep reduction in child and adult mortality and morbidity due to the decline of various communicable diseases, including vaccine-preventable diseases. Good governance and planning, together with leadership and commitment by the government, has been a critical factor in this reduction. However, with increasing prosperity, lifestyle-related noncommunicable diseases have emerged as new health challenges to the country, with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity in the lead among other chronic conditions. Appropriate prevention strategies for reducing the burden of noncommunicable diseases are discussed. PMID:19670522

During the past 35 years Oman has undergone a rapid socioeconomic and epidemiological transition leading to a steep reduction in child and adult mortality and morbidity due to the decline of various communicable diseases, including vaccine-preventable diseases. Good governance and planning, together with leadership and commitment by the government, has been a critical factor in this reduction. However, with increasing prosperity, lifestyle-related noncommunicable diseases have emerged as new health challenges to the country, with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity in the lead among other chronic conditions. Appropriate prevention strategies for reducing the burden of noncommunicable diseases are discussed. PMID:19469445

Reservoir facies in Fahud field and throughout northwestern Oman are in shallow-shelf carbonates of the middle Cretaceous Mishrif and Mauddud Formations. Interparticle porosity formed in the Mishrif as sand aprons of lithoclast and skeletal grainstones surrounding fault-block islands, and less commonly in the Mauddud as biostromes of rudist packstones. Moldic porosity after fine rudist debris is more common than interparticle porosity and occurs in thicker stratigraphic units, interpreted to have formed locally in meteoric-water lenses associated with islands, and regionally during subaerial exposure associated with sea level lows.

Reservoir facies in Fahud field and throughout northwestern Oman are in shallow-shelf carbonates of the middle Cretaceous Mishrif and Mauddud Formations. Interparticle porosity formed in the Mishrif as sand aprons of lithoclast and skeletal grainstones surrounding fault-block islands and less commonly in the Mauddud as biostromes of rudist packstones. Moldic porosity after fine rudist debris is more common than interparticle porosity and occurs in thicker stratigraphic units, interpreted to have formed locally in meteoric-water lenses associated with islands, and regionally during subaerial exposure associated with sea level lows. 8 references, 9 figures.

A discussion is presented of the Cretaceous formations involved in Fahud field. Along the Trucial Coast, as in northwestern Oman, it is not difficult to date the time of formation of the foredeep. This article provides a stratigraphic correlation chart for the Cretaceous along the Arabian side of the Arabian Gulf. The terminology presented on this correlation chart reflects oil-industry usage in the area, including correlations published by Owen and Nasr, Loutfi and Jaber, Arabian American Oil Company, Beydoun and Dunnington, and Hassan et al.

It was aimed at investigating the perception of the aging process by the adult population in Kuwait and the existence of gender-dependent ageism. A total of 305 adults aged between 20 and 64 years were selected among those attending health centers in Kuwait. They were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire and data was collected through direct one-to-one interview using the

Background As countries develop economically, an “epidemiological transition” occurs whereby a set of chronic diseases increasingly becomes a country’s health challenge. Against this background, this paper examines the most common conditions associated with the prevalence of diabetes in Qatar, with a specific focus on the diabetes-obesity-hypertension nexus. Methods We analyzed data from the World Health Organization’s World Health Survey conducted in the State of Qatar in 2006. The survey included demographic, anthropometric, and blood chemistry measurements. Using multivariate logistical regression analysis, we assessed the most common conditions associated with diabetes, using both objective and subjective measures of diabetes. The objective measures relied on random blood sugar tests, and the subjective measure included respondents who affirmatively answered the question on diabetes diagnosis. We repeated our analysis on respondents who had blood glucose levels high enough to be considered diabetic/glucose intolerant but did not answer affirmatively on the question of diabetes diagnosis. Results When using the objective measure of diabetes, the following conditions appeared significant: obesity (OR?=?1.5, 95% CI?=?1.2 – 1.9), higher income (OR?=?1.4, 95% CI?=?1.0 – 1.9), high cholesterol (OR?=?1.4, 95% CI?=?1.0 – 1.9), having Qatari origin (OR?=?1.3, 95% CI?=?1.0 – 1.7), and increasing systolic blood pressure (SBP) 120–139 mmHg (OR?=?1.5, 95% CI?=?1.2 – 2.0), SBP 140–159 mmHg (OR?=?2.2, 95% CI?=?1.6 – 3.1), SBP?>?160 mmHg (OR?=?3.2, 95% CI?=?2.0 – 5.3). Similar results were obtained using the subjective measure of diabetes as a dependent variable. When applied to the group of respondents that included pre-diabetics and those who did not know they were diabetic, obesity and hypertension appeared as the only statistically significant explanatory variables. Conclusion High prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and especially obesity is documented among residents of Qatar. Further steps are required to tackle the most common conditions associated with the rising diabetes epidemic in the country, which might also pose significant fiscal challenges in the future. PMID:25170308

This book is an analysis of the international political environment for business in the Gulf region. To secure the flow of oil supplies to the West, the U.S. relies on stable relations with the key Gulf states: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar. The region's dynamic balance of power, however, is inherently destabilizing, which threatens the investment climate and the billions of dollars of international commerce with the Gulf states expected in the next decade. Dr. Martin analyzes the effects of the religious, ethnic, and ideological differences in the Persian Gulf on superpower competition and U.S. energy policy.

The Department of History, University at Albany, SUNY (last reviewed in the January 21, 2000 Scout Report) has put together a useful and straightforward metasite covering resources on the history and culture of the Middle East. History in the News focuses specifically on Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, UAE, and Yemen. Resources are easily browseable by topic (History, Religion, Economics, Maps) or by country. This is a nice place to start one's reading on this newsworthy region of the world.

A dynamic simulation study solved the process control problems for a Saih Rawl, Oman, gas compressor station operated by Petroleum Development of Oman (PDO). PDO encountered persistent compressor failure that caused frequent facility shutdowns, oil production deferment, and gas flaring. It commissioned MSE (Consultants) Ltd., U.K., to find a solution for the problem. Saih Rawl, about 40 km from Qarn Alam, produces oil and associated gas from a large number of low and high-pressure wells. Oil and gas are separated in three separators. The oil is pumped to Qarn Alam for treatment and export. Associated gas is compressed in two parallel trains. Train K-1115 is a 350,000 standard cu m/day, four-stage reciprocating compressor driven by a fixed-speed electric motor. Train K-1120 is a 1 million standard cu m/day, four-stage reciprocating compressor driven by a fixed-speed electric motor. Train K-1120 is a 1 million standard cu m/day, four-stage centrifugal compressor driven by a variable-speed motor. The paper describes tripping and surging problems with the gas compressor and the control simplifications that solved the problem.

Recent improvements in health and an increased standard of living in Oman have led to a reduction in environment-related and infectious diseases. Now the country is experiencing an epidemiological transition characterised by a baby boom, youth bulge and increasing longevity. Common wisdom would therefore suggest that Omanis will suffer less ill health. However, a survey of literature suggests that chronic non-communicable diseases are unexpectedly becoming common. This is possibly fuelled by some socio-cultural patterns specific to Oman, as well as the shortcomings of the ‘miracle’ of health and rapid modernisation. Unfortunately, such new diseases do not spare younger people; a proportion of them will need the type of care usually reserved for the elderly. In addition, due to their pervasive and refractory nature, these chronic non-communicable diseases seem impervious to the prevailing ‘cure-oriented’ health care system. This situation therefore calls for a paradigm shift: a health care system that goes beyond a traditional cure-orientation to provide care services for the chronically sick of all ages. PMID:22548135

Reflection seismic data, well data, geochemical data, and surface geology suggest that a Cretaceous rift basin exists beneath the thrusted allochthonous sedimentary sequence of the Masirah graben, Oman. The Masirah graben is located east of the Huqf uplift, parallel to the southern coast of Oman. The eastern side of the northeast-trending Huqf anticlinorium is bounded by an extensional fault system that is downthrown to the southeast, forming the western edge of the Masirah graben. This graben is limited to the east by a large wedge of sea floor sediments and oceanic crust, that is stacked as imbricate thrusts. These sediments/ophiolites were obducted onto the southern margin of the Arabian plate during the collision of the Indian/Afghan plates at the end of the Cretaceous. Most of the Masirah graben is covered by an allochthonous sedimentary sequence, which is complexly folded and deformed above a detachment. This complexly deformed sequence contrasts sharply with what is believed to be a rift sequence below the ophiolites. The sedimentary sequence in the Masirah graben was stable until further rifting of the Arabian Sea/Gulf of Aden in the late Tertiary, resulting in reactivation of earlier rift-associated faults. Wells drilled in the Masirah graben in the south penetrated reservoir quality rocks in the Lower Cretaceous Natih and Shuaiba carbonates. Analyses of oil extracted from Infracambrian sedimentary rocks penetrated by these wells suggest an origin from a Mesozoic source rock.

The proposed Oman India pipeline will traverse approximately 1,135 km of the northern Arabian Sea floor and adjacent continental shelves at depths of over 3 km on its route from Ra`s al Jifan, Oman, to Rapar Gadhwali, India. The western part of the route crosses active faults that form the transform boundary between the Arabian and Indian tectonic plates. The eastern terminus of the route lies in the vicinity of the great (M {approximately} 8) 1829 Kutch, India earthquake. A probabilistic seismic hazard analysis was used to estimate the values of peak ground acceleration (PGA) with return periods of 200, 500 and 1,000 years at selected locations along the pipeline route and the submarine Indus Canyon -- a possible source of large turbidity flows. The results defined the ground-shaking hazard along the pipeline route and Indus Canyon for evaluation of risks to the pipeline from potential earthquake-induced geologic hazards such as liquefaction, slope instability, and turbidity flows. 44 refs.

Prompted by cases of acute hepatitis in expatriate workers presenting at Alkhor Hospital, Qatar, a limited prospective observational study was conducted from July 2005 to June 2006 to determine the epidemiological and clinical features of patients (predominantly Nepalese) presenting with acute hepatitis. Countrywide during that period samples from 86 Nepalese presenting at different centers were found to be anti-HEV IgG positive and 50 of these were also positive for anti-HEV IgM. Fifty-eight of those Nepalese were seen and treated at Alkhor Hospital and of them 43 were confirmed as cases of acute HEV, being positive for both anti-HEV IgM and IgG. The remaining 15 were diagnosed as probable cases of acute HEV on the basis of clinical and epidemiological similarity. It seems likely that transit in Kathmandu in reportedly unsanitary conditions was the focus of infection. In some of those examined at Alkhor, ultrasound detected a thickened gallbladder wall in 30 of 39 (76.9%) with two cases having clinical acalcular cholecystitis. Higher levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were associated with severe disease and derangement in coagulation. On the available evidence hepatitis E was imported by expatriate workers and it is clear that medical screening of these workers pre- and post-arrival must be improved to prevent further outbreaks. It is also essential that health care workers in Qatar are made aware of this ongoing problem of imported HEV and understand the variable presentation of the condition. PMID:19382273

Seismic hazard assessment for Oman is conducted utilizing probabilistic approach. Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment (PSHA) has been performed within a logic tree framework. An earthquake catalogue for Oman was compiled and declustered to include only independent earthquakes. The declustered catalogue was used to define seismotectonic source model with 26 source zones that characterize earthquakes in the tectonic environments in and around Oman. The recurrence parameters for all the seismogenic zones are determined using the doubly bounded exponential distribution except the seismogenic zones of Makran subduction zone which were modeled using the characteristic distribution. The maximum earthquakes on known faults were determined geologically and the remaining zones were determined statistically from the compiled catalogue. Horizontal ground accelerations in terms of geometric mean were calculated using ground-motion prediction relationships that were developed from seismic data obtained from the shallow active environment, stable craton environment, and from subduction earthquakes. In this analysis, we have used alternative seismotectonic source models, maximum magnitude, and attenuation models and weighted them to account for the epistemic uncertainty. The application of this methodology leads to the definition of 5% damped seismic hazard maps at rock sites for 72, 475, and 2475 year return periods for spectral accelerations at periods of 0.0 (corresponding to peak ground acceleration), 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 1.0 and 2.0 sec. Mean and 84th percentile acceleration contour maps were represented. The results also were displayed as uniform hazard spectra for rock sites in the cities of Khasab, Diba, Sohar, Muscat, Nizwa, Sur, and Salalah in Oman and the cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai in UAE. The PGA across Oman ranges from 20 cm/sec2 in the Mid-West and 115 cm/sec2 at the northern part for 475 years return period and between 40 cm/sec2 and 180 cm/sec2 for 2475 years return period. The highest hazard is found in the most northern city (Khasab) close to both Zagros and Makran Zones with maximum spectral accelerations at 0.2 sec period reaching 243 cm/s2 for a return period of 475 years and 397 cm/s2 for 2475 years. Earthquakes at a distance of 90 km from Khasab City contribute most to the hazard of this city at both 475 and 2475 year return period hazard levels for all considered spectral periods. For the cities of Diba, Muscat, Nizwa, Sur, and Salalah, the hazard is dominated by large distant earthquakes at all response periods for 475 year return period, while for the 2475 year return period, the hazard is dominated by nearby small to moderate earthquakes for short spectral periods and by distant larger events for longer ones. The results support the UBC97 classification of Sohar, Muscat, Nizwa, Sur, and Salalah cities to be in Zone 0 (no seismic design required), whereas in Khasab and Diba Zone 1 would be appropriate.

=34 963 US$ M. However if half of this cost is spent on PV cells to meet 2.5 % growth rate in maximum demand a considerable decrease in cost of power system expansion. 3. Kuwait Electric Power System: Kuwait has a hot and long summer period... =34 963 US$ M. However if half of this cost is spent on PV cells to meet 2.5 % growth rate in maximum demand a considerable decrease in cost of power system expansion. 3. Kuwait Electric Power System: Kuwait has a hot and long summer period...

This paper estimates the demand for energy in Kuwait for the period 1965-1989 using two econometric models: a cointegration and error correction model (ECM) and a simultaneous-equation model (SEM). The results obtained from both models are similar. It is found that the energy demand is inelastic with respect to price in the short and long run, and while it is elastic in the long run, the energy demand is inelastic with respect to income in the short run. Both models` validation shows that the ECM performed better in replicating the past than the simultaneous model, suggesting the need to use the ECM to identify future prospects for energy demand in Kuwait.

To assess the intake of artificial food colour additives by 5-14-year-old children in the State of Kuwait, a 24-h dietary recall was conducted twice on 3141 male and female Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti children from 58 schools. The determination of colour additives in 344 foods items consumed was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector. A comparison with the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) was undertaken to evaluate the potential risk associated with the consumption of artificial colour additives by children in Kuwait. The results indicated that out of nine permitted colours, four exceeded their ADIs by factors of 2-8: tartrazine, sunset yellow, carmoisine and allura red. Further, follow-up studies to provide insight into potential adverse health effects associated with the high intakes of these artificial colour additives on the test population are warranted. PMID:16517526

Rabbit carcasses were used to compare rates of decomposition and associated assemblages of Diptera at four discernable habitat types in Kuwait; a country of a region with a paucity of such reference data. Carcasses in an urban habitat showed faster decomposition (as measured by percentage weight loss) than in agricultural, coastal or desert habitats, even with accumulated degree days (ADD) as the explanatory variable (t=2.73, df=34, p=0.010) to compensate for temperature differences. Taxa of Diptera at the four habitats became more similar as decomposition progressed, suggesting such differences between habitats were not marked. The occurrence of Chrysomyia megacephala and Lucilia sericata had not previously been recorded in Kuwait. PMID:22018747

A clastic, tidal flat-sabkha complex characterizes the mesotidal coastline of Northern Kuwait. The Holocene tidal sediments of this area represent the western-most limit of the Shatt Al-Arab delta sediments. The area under study in Bahrah is subdivided according to its geomorphological features and depositional setting into eight sub-environments. The sediments are characterized by two distinct size populations; a coarse fraction

During the period 28 April 5 May 1991 a Japanese research team monitored the air pollution in Kuwait caused by oil-well fires. Monitoring was conducted at nine sites using lightweight samplers. A major monitoring site was located at Ahmadi near the fires. High levels of total airborne particulate matter, soot, organic carbon. SO 42, and Cl + were detected, but the levels of SO 2, NO 2, CO and benzo( a)pyrene were rather low.

The current study aims to explore the drop-out trends at Sultan Qaboos. University and Kuwait University. Archival data of the period 2000-2011 were used to achieve this goal. Main findings showed that (a) male drop-out rates are higher than female drop-out rates; (b) drop- out rates at scientific colleges are higher; (c) drop-out rates of…

Background Despite the increasing rates of childhood obesity and rapid change in socio-economic status, the mean age at menarche remains mostly unknown among contemporary girls in Kuwait and other countries in the Gulf region. This study aimed to estimate the mean age at menarche among schoolgirls in Kuwait and investigate the association between age at menarche and obesity. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,273 randomly selected female high school students from all governorates in Kuwait. Overweight was defined as higher than or equal to the 85th percentile and obesity as higher than or equal to the 95th percentile using growth charts provided by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2000). Data on menarche, socio-demographic status, physical activity and diet were collected using confidential self-administered questionnaire. Results Out of 1,273 students, 23 (1.8%) were absent or refused to participate. The mean age at menarche was 12.41 years (95% CI: 12.35-12.48). The prevalence of early menarche, defined as less than 11 years of age, was 8.5% (95% CI: 7.0-10.2%). The prevalence of obesity and overweight was 18.3% (95% CI: 16.2-20.6%) and 25.8% (95% CI: 23.42-28.30%), respectively. Age at menarche was inversely and significantly associated with odds of overweight and obesity after adjusting for potential confounders, odds ratio 0.84 (0.77-0.93); (p?=?0.001). Conclusion Age at menarche among contemporary girls in Kuwait is similar to that in industrialized countries. There is an inverse association between age at menarche and obesity or overweight. Trends in menarcheal age should be monitored and time of sexual maturation and its related factors should be taken into account in strategies that aim to combat obesity. PMID:23311596

Admission records of children with sickle cell anemia (SS), in the two main teaching hospitals in Kuwait, were reviewed for a 1-year period. The haplotypes of 92 ?s chromosomes (from 39 SS, 11 AS, 2 S?-thalassemia [S? -thal] and 1 SD individuals) were determined using an allele-specific oligonucleotide (ASO) hybridization technique, while the ?-globin gene status of 27 SS and

Road traffic injuries (RTIs), disabilities and deaths are recognised as a major public health problem worldwide. This study aimed to quantify the magnitude and the trends of RTI-related fatal and non-fatal injuries in Kuwait for the period 2000–2009. Data on road traffic crashes and related events (i.e., fatal and non-fatal minor and severe injuries) were obtained from police records, and

Gamma-ray spectrometric measurements were performed on sediment samples from the coast of Kuwait to study the concentration of natural as well as man-made radioactive sources. The coast of Kuwait, which extends for some 170 km is mainly soft sedimentary colitic limestones or sandstones, overlaid in many areas with beach or wind-blown sand. In the north, suspended material from the Shatt Al-Arab delta has settled to form extensive soft areas of intertidal mud within Kuwait Bay. Forty samples were taken at different points along the coast in undisturbed areas at intervals of about 5 km. Collection was carried out during low-tide, where it was possible to collect sediments from the wet region that was covered by seawater during the high tide. At each of the sample sites, a sampling area of about 1 m2 was considered. Samples collected from the north were of a muddy nature, whereas the southern samples were sandy. All samples were left to dry in open air before drying in the oven at 105 degrees C for 2-3 days to remove all water content. The radioactivity in southern areas reaches about one half of the values commonly assigned as the world average. In the northern areas, higher radioactivity concentrations are found but are still below the international levels. PMID:12102362

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge and attitudes among pharmacists in Kuwait towards the use of herbs. Methods Self-administered questionnaire was designed as the study instrument and distributed among 100 qualified pharmacists working in government and private pharmacies in Kuwait. Results The mean age was 34.2 (SD=7.5) years. About 51% of pharmacists reported they had used herbal therapy in their lifetime. The majority were interested in herbal information, and their herbal information came mainly from their previous classes during college. Although the pharmacists’ knowledge about uses of selected herbs was good, their awareness about side effects of those herbs was modest. About 31% of the pharmacists did not have enough information about potential interactions between herbs and conventional medicines. Conclusion Herbal information is needed for pharmacy students as part of the Pharmacy College curriculum. Continuing education programs for practising pharmacists about the safety of different herbal products should be established in Kuwait.

Kuwait mandated seat-belt use by drivers in 1976 and by front seat passengers in 1994. The study objectives were to identify and estimate current factors associated with seat-belt use and levels of potentially unsafe driving behaviours in Kuwait. In 2010, 741 adults were surveyed regarding driving habits and history. Only 41.6% of drivers reported always using a seat belt. Front seat passenger belt use was more common (30.5%) than rear seat belt use (6.5%). Distracted driving behaviours were common, including mobile phone use ('always' or 'almost always': 51.1%) and texting/SMS (32.4%). Logistic regression indicated that drivers who were young (18-19 years), male, Kuwaiti nationals or non-Kuwaiti Arabs, drove over the speed limit, had traffic violation tickets or >1 car crashes in the last year, were less likely to use seat belts. Targeted initiatives to increase public awareness and to enforce car-safety legislation, including use of seat belts, are necessary to decrease the health burden of car crashes in Kuwait. PMID:24025146

The increasing prevalence of chronic disease in Oman is a public health challenge. Available evidence in Oman on physical inactivity, the fourth leading risk factor for chronic disease, calls for urgent action to reduce physical inactivity as part of a key strategy to address chronic disease in Oman. The public health implications of this evidence for Oman are considered in light of recommendations outlined in the Toronto Charter for Physical Activity. The charter provides a systematic approach of physical activity and outlines an action plan that could be adapted to the Omani context. Urgent intersectoral action focusing on a shared goal and a more deliberate public health response addressing physical inactivity is required. Further research is needed on the determinants of physical inactivity and culturally appropriate interventions in order to guide future public health actions. PMID:24790738

Background: Although pharmacists have great potential to modify and optimize drug therapy in pregnancy and lactation, current literature demonstrates that they do not routinely provide this care and often feel ill equipped to do so. The objective of this study was to determine pharmacists’ knowledge and perceptions of maternal-fetal medicine in Canada, Uganda and Qatar. Secondary objectives were to determine factors associated with pharmacists’ knowledge and to characterize training opportunities and resources available to practising pharmacists. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using online software (SurveyMonkey) was sent to the e-mails of potential research participants. Practising pharmacists and resident pharmacists in British Columbia, Canada; the country of Qatar; and the country of Uganda were eligible for inclusion. The survey was designed to assess knowledge and perceptions, and to create a baseline inventory of current practice and information resources used in practice. Results: The mean knowledge assessment scores of pharmacists in Canada, Qatar and Uganda were 62.9%, 53.3%, and 57.7%, respectively (p < 0.05). Pharmacists in British Columbia scored higher on knowledge assessment than pharmacists in Qatar (p < 0.05), but other country comparisons were not significant. No predefined factors (gender, years of experience, practice area or parental status) were found to be significant in determining the knowledge score. More than two-thirds of pharmacists expressed interest in participating in continuing education opportunities in maternal-fetal medicine. Conclusion: Pharmacists have differing levels of knowledge in the area of maternal-fetal medicine. Continuing education and degree curricula should be reviewed and developed to fill the knowledge gaps of student pharmacists and practising pharmacists in maternal-fetal medicine. PMID:25364351

A number of years worth of data concerning the wind speed in Oman have been presented in this article. The data are obtained from a remote agricultural research station in Oman. The annual mean wind speed is 5.7 m\\/s. In this station, electricity supply is provided with diesel-engine generating units. The annual peak load and minimum load recorded at the

Purpose – Although significant investments have been made, to date only limited progress has been made in terms of realising fully functional and integrated e-government services in Oman. The purpose of this paper is to identify the most salient factors that are currently influencing the development and diffusion of e-government in Oman as perceived by government employees involved in e-government

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) imagery of sea-surface-temperature, TOPEX\\/POSEIDON measurements of sea-level-anomaly (SLA), and modeled surface winds and wind-stress fields are used in concert with other ancillary data to describe the influence of the 1995 Southwest Monsoon on the distribution of upwelled waters off the coast of Oman. The Oman upwelling zone is characterized by the entrainment of cold

Eclogites and garnet-blueschists exposed at the deepest structural levels of the Oman Mountains in north-eastern Saih Hatat, Oman, are evidence for the subduction of the Arabian continental margin. Their peak pressures have been a matter of debate for over a decade, with initial thermobarometric estimates in excess of 20 kbar, based on garnet-clinopyroxene-phengite barometry and the presence of radial cracks

The development of the Qatar National Historic Environment Record (QNHER) by the Qatar Museums Authority and the University of Birmingham in 2008 was based on a customised, bilingual Access database and ArcGIS. While both platforms are stable and well supported, neither was designed for the documentation and retrieval of cultural heritage data. As a result it was decided to develop a custom application using Open Source code. The core module of this application is now completed and is orientated towards the storage and retrieval of geospatial heritage data for the curation of heritage assets. Based on MIDAS Heritage data standards and regionally relevant thesauri, it is a truly bilingual system. Significant attention has been paid to the user interface, which is userfriendly and intuitive. Based on a suite of web services and accessed through a web browser, the system makes full use of internet resources such as Google Maps and Bing Maps. The application avoids long term vendor ''tie-ins'' and as a fully integrated data management system, is now an important tool for both cultural resource managers and heritage researchers in Qatar.

Abstract: In Qatar, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death. Studies show that depression is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality among cardiovascular patients. Thus, early detection of, and intervention for, depression among cardiovascular patients can reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and save health care costs. To date there is no study in the Gulf region exploring depression among cardiovascular patients. The goals of our three-phase research program are to (1) understand the mental health issues, specifically depression, as experienced by cardiovascular patients living in the State of Qatar; (2) identify and implement strategies that would prevent depression and assist patients to deal with depression; and (3) evaluate, facilitate, and sustain strategies that are effective at reducing depression and foster its treatment among cardiovascular patients. This paper describe phase I of the research program. Using both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, we will investigate (1) the prevalence and severity of depression among patients who have confirmed diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases (2) how contextual factors such as social, cultural, and economic factors contribute to the risk of depression and its management among cardiovascular patients, and (3) formulate effective intervention strategies that are expected to increase awareness, prevention of and treatment for depression among cardiovascular patients, thus reducing cardiovascular diseases morbidity and mortality in Qatar. PMID:24688991

In Qatar, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death. Studies show that depression is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality among cardiovascular patients. Thus, early detection of, and intervention for, depression among cardiovascular patients can reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and save health care costs. To date there is no study in the Gulf region exploring depression among cardiovascular patients. The goals of our three-phase research program are to (1) understand the mental health issues, specifically depression, as experienced by cardiovascular patients living in the State of Qatar; (2) identify and implement strategies that would prevent depression and assist patients to deal with depression; and (3) evaluate, facilitate, and sustain strategies that are effective at reducing depression and foster its treatment among cardiovascular patients. This paper describe phase I of the research program. Using both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, we will investigate (1) the prevalence and severity of depression among patients who have confirmed diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases (2) how contextual factors such as social, cultural, and economic factors contribute to the risk of depression and its management among cardiovascular patients, and (3) formulate effective intervention strategies that are expected to increase awareness, prevention of and treatment for depression among cardiovascular patients, thus reducing cardiovascular diseases morbidity and mortality in Qatar. PMID:24688991

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) currently produces some 750,000 bopd and 900,000 bwpd from some 74 fields in a large geographical area and diverse operating conditions. A key corporate objective is to reduce operating costs by exploiting productivity gains from proven technology. Automation is seen as a means of managing the rapid growth of well population and production facilities. the overall objective is to improve field management through continuous monitoring of wells and facilities and dissemination of data throughout the whole organization. A major upgrade of PDO`s field Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is complete providing a platform to exploit new initiatives particularly for production optimization of artificial lift systems and automatic well testing using multi selector valves, coriolis flow meter measurements and multi component (oil, gas, water) flowmeter. The paper describes PDO`s experience including benefits and challenges which have to be managed when developing Computer Assisted Operations (CAO).

The Middle Eastern site in the INTERGROWTH-21(st) Project was Muscat, the capital city of Oman, with approximately 10,500 births per year. The sample for the Newborn Cross-Sectional Study (NCSS) was drawn from two hospitals covering 96% of the region's births. The Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study (FGLS) sample was recruited from four primary health facilities serving Khoula Hospital, using the eligibility criteria in the INTERGROWTH-21(st) protocol. Special activities to encourage participation in this population included local advocacy campaigns to encourage early antenatal booking and ultrasound dating in the population. The major challenges at the site were the recruitment of sufficient numbers of women at an early gestational age, and the timely measurement of all newborns within 12 hours of birth. Many individuals and institutions collaborated effectively over a period of several years on these studies, which required careful planning and close monitoring for their successful implementation. PMID:23679957

On November 28th, 1945 an 8.1 magnitude earthquake focused in the eastern portion of the Makran subduction zone (Arabian Sea) generated a powerful tsunami that destroyed many coastal villages in Pakistan and India. Reports indicate that the tsunami also caused significant damage in Muscat, Oman, although its effects elsewhere in Oman are unknown. A thick bivalve dominated shell horizon was discovered inside the Sur lagoon, which is located on the eastern promontory of Oman (200 km south of Muscat). This shell deposit is significant because it is laterally extensive (> 1 km2), extends deep within the lagoon (>2 km), ranges in thickness from 5 - 25 cm at the sample localities, contains numerous subtidal and offshore bivalve species, and articulated subtidal and offshore bivalve species are abundant. Although there is an absence of typical tsunami indicators such as allochthonous sediment in and around the lagoon, verbal accounts, cultural evidence recovered during coring, and the absence of strong storms during the past 100 years indicates that this shell unit was caused by the 1945 tsunami. In this setting, it would be advantageous to have another proxy for tsunami detection and risk prediction. The use of shell taphonomy is one of the potential indicators and here we present new evidence of its utility. We sampled this unit in eight locations, and compared the shell taphonomy to surface shell samples collected from beach and reworked horizons in the lagoon, and to shell samples from a known tsunami and corresponding storm/ballast deposit in Israel (Reinhardt et al., 2006). Taphonomic analysis yielded promising results, as the two tsunami horizons shared excellent agreement between the amount of fragmented shells, and the percentage of shells displaying angular breaks. Both of these categories were significantly different from the percentage of fragments and angular fragments recovered from the reworked, beach, and storm/ballast deposits, indicating different environmental factors acting upon the shell assemblages. These results suggest that tsunamigenic shell deposits can be identified based on their taphonomic characteristics when compared to beach and storm deposits in the same setting. Our data indicates that the following diagnostic taphonomic characteristics may indicate a tsunamigenic deposit: 1) presence/absence of articulated bivalves, 2) increased percentage of fragmented valves, 3) increased percentage of angular fragments, and 4) the large number of offshore bivalves in the lagoon. This study highlights the potential benefits and opportunity for using bivalve taphonomy as a useful indicator of paleotsunami deposits, particularly in protected coastal embayments in arid regions where stratified deposits might not readily preserve. This technique holds potential, as shell deposits are easy to identify in the field by non-experts, is very low cost, and analysis uses simple, easily applicable and recognizable taphonomic characteristics. Furthermore, this proxy can be used for risk assessment purposes in coastal areas with a seismic history but lacking a paleotsunami record. Further testing of this hypothesis should be conducted along the Omani coastline, particularly in the lagoons along the Eastern promontory. Key Words: tsunami, taphonomy, Oman, bivalve

on the Bronze Age site al-Khidr, Failaka island, State of Kuwait1 Imagery analyses of trenches 22S and 22T, State of kuwait, was excavated from 2004 till 2008 by the kuwaiti ï¿½ Slovak archaeological Mission (fig was occasionally used during the period between c. 50 to 400 aD (stratigraphic layer ii) and during the islamic

Certain trace metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in seawater and particulate matter from thirteen different locations during four different seasons (1993–1994) along the coastal belts of Kuwait. The concentrations of trace metals in seawater, particulate matter, and PAHs were determined in order to assess the environmental consequence of the massive oil spill off the Kuwait Coast during

Purpose: The integration of a Learning Management System (LMS) at the Arab Open University (AOU), Kuwait, opens new possibilities for online interaction between teachers and students. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficiency of the LMS at AOU, Kuwait as a communication tool in the E-learning system and to find the best automated…

Since 1977 when Aramco and GSI (Geophysical Services International) pioneered the first 3-D seismic survey in the Arabian Gulf, under the guidance of Aramco`s Chief Geophysicist John Hoke, 3-D seismology has been effectively used to map many complex subsurface geological phenomena. By the mid-1990s extensive 3-D surveys were acquired in Abu Dhabi, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Also in the mid-1990`s Bahrain, Kuwait and Dubai were preparing to record surveys over their fields. On the structural side 3-D has refined seismic maps, focused faults and fractures systems, as well as outlined the distribution of facies, porosity and fluid saturation. In field development, 3D has not only reduced drilling costs significantly, but has also improved the understanding of fluid behavior in the reservoir. In Oman, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has now acquired the first Gulf 4-D seismic survey (time-lapse 3D survey) over the Yibal Field. The 4-D survey will allow PDO to directly monitor water encroachment in the highly-faulted Cretaceous Shu`aiba reservoir. In exploration, 3-D seismology has resolved complex prospects with structural and stratigraphic complications and reduced the risk in the selection of drilling locations. The many case studies from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which are reviewed in this paper, attest to the effectiveness of 3D seismology in exploration and producing, in clastics and carbonates reservoirs, and in the Mesozoic and Paleozoic.

Whole exome sequencing (WES) has greatly facilitated the identification of causal mutations for diverse human genetic disorders. We applied WES as a molecular diagnostic tool to identify disease-causing genes in consanguineous families in Qatar. Seventeen consanguineous families with diverse disorders were recruited. Initial mutation screening of known genes related to the clinical diagnoses did not reveal the causative mutations. Using WES approach, we identified the definitive disease-causing mutations in four families: (i) a novel nonsense homozygous (c.1034C>G) in PHKG2 causing glycogen storage disease type 9C (GSD9C) in a male with initial diagnosis of GSD3; (ii) a novel homozygous 1-bp deletion (c.915del) in NSUN2 in a male proband with Noonan-like syndrome; (iii) a homozygous SNV (c.1598C>G) in exon 11 of IDUA causing Hurler syndrome in a female proband with unknown clinical diagnosis; (iv) a de novo known splicing mutation (c.1645+1G>A) in PHEX in a female proband with initial diagnosis of autosomal recessive hypophosphatemic rickets. Applying WES as a diagnostic tool led to the unambiguous identification of disease-causing mutations in phenotypically complex disorders or correction of the initial clinical diagnosis in ˜25% of our cases. PMID:24102521

The effect of weather on sport events is not well studied. It requires special attention if the event is taking place at a time and place with extreme weather situations. For the world soccer championship in Qatar (Doha 2022), human biometeorological analysis has been performed in order to identify the time of the year that is most suitable in terms of thermal comfort for visitors attending the event. The analysis is based on thermal indices like Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET). The results show that this kind of event may be not appropriate for visitors, if it is placed during months with extreme conditions. For Doha, this is the period from May to September, when conditions during a large majority of hours of the day cause strong heat stress for the visitors. A more appropriate time would be the months November to February, when thermally comfortable conditions are much more frequent. The methods applied here can quantify the thermal conditions and show limitations and possibilities for specific events and locations.

Background. Overall traumatic brain injury (TBI) incidence and related death rates vary across different age groups. Objectives. To evaluate the incidence, causes, and outcome of TBI in adolescents and young adult population in Qatar. Method. This was a retrospective review of all TBIs admitted to the trauma center between January 2008 and December 2011. Demographics, mechanism of injury, morbidity, and mortality were analyzed in different age groups. Results. A total of 1665 patients with TBI were admitted; the majority were males (92%) with a mean age of 28 ± 16 years. The common mechanism of injury was motor vehicle crashes and falls from height (51% and 35%, resp.). TBI was incidentally higher in young adults (34%) and middle age group (21%). The most frequent injuries were contusion (40%), subarachnoid (25%), subdural (24%), and epidural hemorrhage (18%). The mortality rate was 11% among TBI patients. Mortality rates were 8% and 12% among adolescents and young adults, respectively. The highest mortality rate was observed in elderly patients (35%). Head AIS, ISS, and age were independent predictors for mortality. Conclusion. Adolescents and adults sustain significant portions of TBI, whereas mortality is much higher in the older group. Public awareness and injury prevention campaigns should target young population. PMID:23983630

CDC is working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners to better understand the public health risk presented by a recently detected, novel coronavirus. This virus has been identified in two patients, both previously healthy adults who suffered severe respiratory illness. The first patient, a man aged 60 years from Saudi Arabia, was hospitalized in June 2012 and died; the second patient, a man aged 49 years from Qatar with onset of symptoms in September 2012 was transported to the United Kingdom for intensive care. He remains hospitalized on life support with both pulmonary and renal failure. Person-to-person or health-care-associated transmission has not been identified to date. Interim case definitions based on acute respiratory illness and travel history were issued by WHO on September 29 and include criteria for "patient under investigation," "probable case," and "confirmed case". This information is current as of October 4. Updates on the investigation and the WHO case definition are available at http://www.who.int/csr/don/en/index.html. PMID:23051613

A total of 488 stray cats, 212 adult and 29 juvenile females plus 235 adult and 12 juvenile males, were examined post-mortem during the winter and summer months of 2006 from five sites in the vicinity of Doha and its outskirts. Five helminths, comprising three nematode and two cestode species were identified and the majority of cats harboured two of these species. The most prevalent was the cestode Taenia taeniaeformis (75.8%), followed by the cestode Diplopylidium sp. (42.8%), and the nematodes Ancylostoma tubaeforme (17.0%), Physaloptera sp. (6.6%) and Toxocara cati (0.8%). All five species were found to be typically overdispersed in their distribution. Using univariate and multivariate analyses, the prevalence and abundance of infections were primarily influenced by host gender and season, with females tending to harbour higher levels of infection during the summer. No significant differences were found relative to site except in the case of Physaloptera sp. Using bivariate Pearson product moment correlations, significant positive co-occurrences were identified between Diplopylidium sp. and T. taeniaeformis and also between A. tubaeforme and T. taeniaeformis. The results are discussed in relation to the effect of environmental conditions on the intestinal helminth infracommunities and their possible interactions in stray cat populations from such a harsh and arid region as Qatar. PMID:18199386

Parasitic infections were studied for the first time in an urban population of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Doha. Only one species of helminth was found, the cestode Hymenolepis diminuta, and one ectoparasite, the flea Xenopsylla astia, from a sample size of 136 rats (52 males and 84 females). The prevalence of H. diminuta was 17.6%, increasing with host age but not in relation to host sex nor season of capture. Host age was a key factor in influencing abundance of infection, although there was a significant three-way interaction with season and host sex arising through heavy infections in juvenile male rats in the summer. The prevalence of X. astia was 45.6%, although both prevalence and abundance of infestations were season and host age dependent. In the winter prevalence and abundance were similar in both host age and sex groups, but in the summer both parameters of infestation were markedly higher among juveniles compared with adults. We found evidence for some association between these two species: H. diminuta was more prevalent among rats with fleas than among those without, although this association was season-, and independently sex- and age-dependent. There were no quantitative interactions and reasons for this are discussed in relation to the foraging and breeding behaviour of the brown rat in Qatar. PMID:11818046

Although somatic complains are the predominant reasons for seeking general medical care, there has been limited research on the clinical presentation of somatic symptoms in primary care settings in developing countries. The frequency of somatic symptoms in primary care in Qatar and its relationship to comorbidities of mental disorders is presented here. A total of 2,320 Arab patients were approached, of whom 76% agreed to participate for the survey conducted among primary healthcare (PHC) centre patients. The study was conducted with the help of general practitioners (GPs), using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-8 for depression, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD)-7 for anxiety, PHQ-15 for somatic symptoms and the Psychological Stress Measure (PSM)-9 for stress. Of the subjects with somatic symptoms (229 cases), most were Qataris (57.2%). Poor hearing (52.1%), palpitation (47.1%) and stomach pain (43.8%) were the most common in men, whereas constipation (54.6%), feeling depressed (50.9%), and poor hearing (50.6%) were the most common in women; 48.5% had more than four somatic symptoms. Somatic symptoms were severe in 31.9%. Somatic symptoms were associated with depression (15.3%), anxiety (8.7%) and stress disorders (19.2%). The study findings revealed that somatic symptoms were significantly associated with socio-economic status. Somatic symptoms were significantly associated with depression, anxiety and stress disorders. PMID:23383671

Curating boats can be difficult. They are complex structures, often demanding to conserve whether in or out of the water; they are usually large, difficult to move on land, and demanding of gallery space. Communicating life on board to a visiting public in the terra firma context of a museum can be difficult. Boats in their native environment are inherently dynamic artifacts. In a museum they can be static and divorced from the maritime context that might inspire engagement. New technologies offer new approaches to these problems. 3D laser scanning and digital modeling offers museums a multifaceted means of recording, monitoring, studying and communicating watercraft in their care. In this paper we describe the application of 3D laser scanning and subsequent digital modeling. Laser scans were further developed using computer-generated imagery (CGI) modeling techniques to produce photorealistic 3D digital models for development into interactive, media-based museum displays. The scans were also used to generate 2D naval lines and orthographic drawings as a lasting curatorial record of the dhows held by the National Museum of Qatar.

Deficiency of dedicator of cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8) is a newly described combined primary immunodeficiency disease. It was found to account for 15% of combined immune deficiency cases in the National Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders Registry in Kuwait, a country with high prevalence of consanguinity. We present the clinical, immunologic and molecular characteristics of 9 Kuwaiti patients with DOCK8 deficiency and discuss differences that distinguish DOCK8 deficiency from atopic dermatitis. Clinical immunologists in areas with high incidence of consanguinity should have a high index of suspicion of DOCK8 deficiency in children with recalcitrant eczema, recurrent non-cutaneous infections and lymphopenia. PMID:22534316

The purpose of this study was to examine the current status of health sciences libraries in Kuwait in terms of their staff, collections, facilities, use of information technology, information services, and cooperation. Seventeen libraries participated in the study. Results show that the majority of health sciences libraries were established during the 1980s. Their collections are relatively small. The majority of their staff is nonprofessional. The majority of libraries provide only basic information services. Cooperation among libraries is limited. Survey results also indicate that a significant number of health sciences libraries are not automated. Some recommendations for the improvement of existing resources, facilities, and services are made. PMID:11465688

From 2000 to 2007, 11,793 cancer patients received treatment in Kuwait. Non-Kuwaitis accounted for 6,016 (51%) patients. They came from 68 countries, mainly from the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean (59%) and South-East Asian (20%) regions. The majority (69%) was from low- and low-middle income countries. Thirty-seven percent were from non-Arabic speaking countries. To provide culturally-competent care for expatriate patients, there is a need to explore the impact of their ethnic, sociocultural, economic, language diversity, and expatriation-related stressors on different aspects of cancer care. PMID:22571250

Changes in frequency and intensity of weather events often result in more frequent and intensive disasters such as flash floods and persistent droughts. In Oman, changes in precipitation and temperature have already been detected, although a comprehensive analysis to determine long-term trends is yet to be conducted. We analysed daily precipitation and temperature records in Muscat, the capital city of Oman, mainly focusing on extremes. A set of climate indices, defined in the RClimDex software package, were derived from the longest available daily series (precipitation over the period 1977-2011 and temperature over the period 1986-2011). Results showed significant changes in temperature extremes associated with cooling. Annual maximum value of daily maximum temperature (TX), on average, decreased by 1°C (0.42°C/10 year). Similarly, the annual minimum value of daily minimum temperature (TN) decreased by 1.5°C (0.61°C/10 year), which, on average, cooled at a faster rate than the maximum temperature. Consequently, the annual count of days when TX > 45°C (98th percentile) decreased from 8 to 3, by 5 days. Similarly, the annual count of days when TN < 15°C (2nd percentile) increased from 5 to 15, by 10 days. Annual total precipitation averaged over the period 1977-2011 is 81 mm, which shows a tendency toward wetter conditions with a 6 mm/10 year rate. There is also a significant tendency for stronger precipitation extremes according to many indices. The contribution from very wet days to the annual precipitation totals steadily increases with significance at 75% level. When The General Extreme Value (GEV) probability distribution is fitted to annual maximum 1-day precipitation, the return level of a 10-year return period in 1995-2011 was estimated to be 95 mm. This return level in the recent decade is about 70% higher than the return level for the period of 1977-1994. These results indicate that the long-term wetting signal apparent in total precipitation can be attributed largely to the increases in extreme precipitation in recent decades.

Project EARTH-13-MPS1: Constraining the origin and obduction history of the Oman Ophiolite: The Oman Ophiolite is a ~15 km thick unit of upper mantle peridotite (harzburgite, dunite, wehrlite in the foreland structures in UAE and Oman. Obduction processes and timing are directly relevant to the oil

Three Total Petroleum Systems each consisting of one assessment unit have been identified in the Ghaba and Fahud Salt Basin Provinces of north-central Oman. One Total Petroleum System and corresponding assessment unit, the North Oman Huqf/?Q??Haushi(!) Total Petroleum System (201401) and Ghaba- Makarem Combined Structural Assessment Unit (20140101), were identified for the Ghaba Salt Basin Province (2014). In the Fahud Salt Basin Province, however, two overlapping Total Petroleum Systems (TPS) were recognized: (1) the North Oman Huqf?Shu?aiba(!) TPS (201601); Fahud-Huqf Combined Structural Assessment Unit (20160101), and (2) the middle Cretaceous Natih(!) TPS (201602); Natih-Fiqa Structural/Stratigraphic Assessment Unit (20160201). The boundary for each Total Petroleum System also defines the boundary of the corresponding assessment unit and includes all trap styles and hydrocarbon-producing reservoirs within the petroleum system. In both the Ghaba and Fahud Salt Basin Provinces, hydrocarbons were generated from several deeply buried source rocks within the Infracambrian Huqf Supergroup. One general ?North Oman Huqf? type oil is dominant in the Fahud Salt Basin. Oils in the Ghaba Salt Basin are linked to at least two distinct Huqf source-rock units based on oil geochemistry: a general North Oman Huqf-type oil source and a more dominant ?questionable unidentified source? or ?Q?-type Huqf oil source. These two Huqf-sourced oils are commonly found as admixtures in reservoirs throughout northcentral Oman. Hydrocarbons generated from Huqf sources are produced from a variety of reservoir types and ages ranging from Precambrian to Cretaceous in both the Ghaba and Fahud Salt Basin Provinces. Clastic reservoirs of the Gharif and Al Khlata Formations, Haushi Group (middle Carboniferous to Lower Permian), dominate oil production in the Ghaba Salt Basin Province and form the basis for the Huqf/?Q??Haushi(!) TPS. In contrast, the Lower Cretaceous Shu?aiba and middle Cretaceous Natih limestones account for most of the production in the Fahud Salt Basin with about 50 percent of the basin?s production from porous, fractured Shu?aiba limestones in Yibal field, thus the name North Oman Huqf? Shu?aiba(!) TPS. Deep gas is produced mainly from Middle Cambrian to Lower Ordovician clastic reservoirs of the Haima Supergroup. Traps in nearly all hydrocarbon accumulations of these petroleum systems are mainly structural and were formed by one or more 3 mechanisms. These trap-forming mechanisms were mainly periodic halokinesis of the thick Cambrian Ara Salt and consequent folding and faulting from basin loading, rifting, or other major tectonic events, particularly those events forming the Oman Mountains and associated foreland-basin system during the Late Cretaceous and late Tertiary. Many of the future new-field targets will likely be low-relief, subtle structures, as many of the large structures have been drilled. Oman?s recent interest and commitments to liquid natural gas export make deep gas a primary objective in the two North Oman Huqf petroleum systems. New-field exploration of deep gas and exploring deeper targets for gas in existing fields will likely identify a significant gas resource in the next 30 years. Moreover, salt-diapir flank traps in these two North Oman Huqf petroleum systems and salt basin provinces have gone essentially untested and will likely be targeted in the near future. The middle Cretaceous Natih(!) TPS is a small efficient system of the Fahud Salt Basin. Natih source rocks are only mature in the Late Cretaceous/Tertiary foredeep and production is primarily from Natih reservoirs; minor production from the Shu?aiba limestone is documented along fault-dip structures. Most traps are structural and are related to development of the foreland basin and formation of the Oman Mountains. Future targets of the Natih TPS will be less obvious

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) currently explores an 80,000 mi[sup 2] concession area. Major discoveries were made in the early 1960s in north Oman and in south Oman in the 1970s. However, in the middle to late 1980s, discovery sizes decreased, consistent with classical creaming curves, particularly as exploration concentrated on areas around the hydrocarbon fairways. With a flattening creaming curve, the outlook did not look rosy. PDO faced the question, [open quotes]Does this curve represent the future or could new ideas, a change in approach, or application of newer technologies give an upward kick to the creaming curve [close quotes] A major strategy review took place in which the potential of all plays was reviewed. Prospects were place into frontier, conventional, and exploratory appraisal types. String time was allocated over a five-year period on a basis of play testing for frontier plays and a steady realization of conventional and exploratory appraisal drilling as partial fulfillment of the annual exploration reserves replenishment target. Initial results are promising, and specific challenges including new plays, one unique to Oman, have been defined beyond the aims of the original strategy. Resolution of these challenges will lead to delineation of new hydrocarbon resources in Oman. At the same time, technological advances such as slim-hole drilling and extensive three-dimensional seismic, in concert with work-station interpretation, are being used, in order to minimize costs and increase the success ratio.

The Huqf Group is the oldest known sedimentary sequence overlying crystalline basement in the Sultanate of Oman. It crops out on a broad regional high, the Huqf Axis, which forms a dominating structural element on the southeastern edge of the Arabian peninsula. Subsurface and outcrop evidence within and outside of Oman suggests that the sediments of the Huqf Group lie within the age span of late Precambrian to Early-Middle Cambrian. The Huqf Group is subdivided into five formations corresponding to an alternation of clastics (Abu Mahara and Shuram Formations) and carbonates (Khufai and Buah Formations) deposited in essentially shallow marine to supratidal (or fluviatile) conditions and terminated by an evaporitic sequence (Ara Formation). Evaporites are absent on the Huqf Axis, but they are thickly developed to the west over a large part of southern and central Oman, where they acted as the major structure former of most of Oman's fields, and even locally pierced up to the surface. Regional correlations suggest that the predominantly carbonate-evaporitic facies of the Huqf Group was widely distributed in late Precambrian-Early Cambrian time: the Huqf basin is tentatively considered part of a belt of evaporitic basins and intervening carbonate platforms, which stretched across the Pangea landmass from the Indian subcontinent (Salt Range of Pakistan) through South Yemen, Oman, and Saudi Arabia into the gulf states and Iran (Hormuz Series and carbonate platform north of the Zagros).

Despite recent investments in and rapid modernization of university campuses in places like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, higher education in the Middle East still faces many obstacles. One of the greatest has been a fundamental disconnect between education and employment, a possible factor contributing to many of the recent riots in the Arab World. In…

Patterns of reproduction and spawning were determined for the kingfish (Scomberomorus commerson, Lacépède) in two oceanographic regions of the Sultanate of Oman. During 2 years of sampling, 1264 fish were purchased from fishermen at landing sites along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. Sizes of males and females were similar in both regions but more females were caught

Conodonts from the cephalopod limestones of Rustaq and Ba’ad, Oman, have for many years been dated as Wordian because of the presence of the ammonoid, Waagenoceras. Revised definitions for Guadalupian stages and major differences of conodont morphology among apparently coeval faunas necessitate a review of this age assignment. The lack of serration within the Oman conodont faunas as well as

This paper applies multivariate statistical methods to a data set of weed relevés from arable fields in two different habitat types of coastal and mountainous escarpments in Southern Oman. The objectives were to test the effect of environmental gradients, crop plants and time on weed species composition, to rank the importance of these particular factors, and to describe the patterns of species composition and diversity associated with these factors. Through the application of TWINSPAN, DCA and CCA programs on data relating to 102 species recorded in 28 plots and farms distributed in the study area, six plant communities were identified: I- Dichanthium micranthum, II- Cynodon dactylon-D. micranthum, III- Convolvulus arvensis, IV- C. dactylon-Sonchus oleraceus, V- Amaranthus viridis and VI- Suaeda aegyptiaca-Achyranthes aspera. The ordination process (CCA) provided a sequence of plant communities and species diversity that correlated with some anthropogenic factors, physiographic variables and crop types. Therefore, length of time since farm construction, disturbance levels and altitude are the most important factors related to the occurrence of the species. The perennial species correlated with the more degraded mountain areas of new farm stands, whereas most of the annuals correlated with old lowland and less disturbed farms. PMID:23961246

Five closely related crude oils from Oman, showing various degrees of biodegradation ranging from non-biodegraded to severely biodegraded, were quantitatively investigated for free and sulfur-bound hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons sequestered in the alkylsulfide fraction and the polar fraction were analysed after Raney Ni desulfurisation and subsequent hydrogenation. With increasing degree of biodegradation, pristane (Pr), phytane (Ph) and a series of mid-chain methyl alkanes are enriched relative to the n-alkanes, as evidenced by increased Pr/n-C{sub 17} and Ph/n-C{sub 18} ratios. In the severely biodegraded oil no free n-alkanes, mid-chain alkanes or isoprenoid alkanes could be detected. Sterane and hopane distributions, however, remain unchanged throughout the biodegradation series. Hydrocarbons sequestered in the alkylsulfide fraction (i.e. n-alkanes, mid-chain methyl alkanes, Pr and Ph) are biodegraded at lower rates than the corresponding hydrocarbons in the saturated hydrocarbon fraction. Similar hydrocarbons sequestered in the polar fraction are biodegraded at even lower rates. These results suggest that hydrocarbons bound by a higher amount of sulfur links are biodegraded at a lower rate.

Although the use of ultra-large coiled tubing to complete wells is relatively new, it is gaining widespread industry application. This paper will detail the equipment necessary to perform an operation of this type and will present information from several case studies in Oman in which an operator has successfully deployed completion equipment on 3-1/2-inch-OD coiled tubing. In addition to a discussion of the equipment required to perform the necessary operations, the trial parameters that were established by this operator will be given. The information presented has been selected to allow an initial evaluation to be made of coiled tubing completions in general and will help to determine whether this method can prove to be less expensive than traditional rig-based completions. The topics presented have been chosen to provide the reader with a thorough understanding of the techniques and preparation needed to execute a coiled tubing completion. The summary of experiences will conclude that this innovative completion technique can be a viable method for completing wells. Although long-term advantages regarding production and well maintenance cannot yet be determined, the operator`s experiences to date have confirmed his initial belief that use of coiled tubing in ultra-large continuous-pipe applications can be cost effective.

An ocean observatory—consisting of a real-time, cabled array in the Sea of Oman and an internally recording, autonomous mooring array recently upgraded to a cabled array in the northern Arabian Sea—celebrated more than 2500 days of continuous operation in July 2012. The observatory, which measures a range of properties, such as water current velocities, temperature, salinity, pressure, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity, is part of the Lighthouse Ocean Research Initiative (LORI) project [du Vall et al., 2011], which was designed as a pilot project and installed in 2005 in the region off Abu Bakara (Figures 1a and 1b). The initial goal of the project was to prove that an in situ, cabled ocean observatory can return high-quality scientific data on a real-time basis over longer time periods than conventional moored systems. That same year, an autonomous array was deployed off Ras al Hadd and on Murray Ridge in the Arabian Sea (Figure 1a).

Significant discoveries of heavy oil accumulations (7+ billion barrels STOIIP) in South Oman have led to a greater emphasis on their development in the last 3-4 years. These fields are now being developed. Most of the reserves occur in glacial to periglacial sandstones of Permo-carboniferous age which exhibit rapid facies variations. The high viscosity of the crude and unconsolidated nature of the formations create a typical sand production problem environment. The occurrence of H/sub 2/S in some fields and anticipation of early water production from both edge and bottom aquifers has necessitated cautious planning of facilities. Beam pumping is being installed in all fields. Most fields are planned for development on a square-grid pattern with varied well spacing which considers crude characteristics, reservoir properties and future EOR possibilities. Since primary recoveries are expected to be low (5 to 15 percent), steps are being taken to initiate a pilot polymer flood and, at least, one pilot steam flood. Steam soak is also considered possible for the more viscous (greater than or equal to 1000 cP) reservoirs. Necessary basic reservoir data are being gathered for these projects and reservoir simulation process design studies are in progress. Facilities design and installation is also underway.

This paper applies multivariate statistical methods to a data set of weed relevés from arable fields in two different habitat types of coastal and mountainous escarpments in Southern Oman. The objectives were to test the effect of environmental gradients, crop plants and time on weed species composition, to rank the importance of these particular factors, and to describe the patterns of species composition and diversity associated with these factors. Through the application of TWINSPAN, DCA and CCA programs on data relating to 102 species recorded in 28 plots and farms distributed in the study area, six plant communities were identified: I- Dichanthium micranthum, II- Cynodon dactylon–D. micranthum, III- Convolvulus arvensis, IV- C. dactylon–Sonchus oleraceus, V- Amaranthus viridis and VI- Suaeda aegyptiaca–Achyranthes aspera. The ordination process (CCA) provided a sequence of plant communities and species diversity that correlated with some anthropogenic factors, physiographic variables and crop types. Therefore, length of time since farm construction, disturbance levels and altitude are the most important factors related to the occurrence of the species. The perennial species correlated with the more degraded mountain areas of new farm stands, whereas most of the annuals correlated with old lowland and less disturbed farms. PMID:23961246

Vast storms created when cold, northwesterly air masses slam into hot, southwesterly monsoons, moving lethargically over the Sudan and Red Sea, generate swift downdrafts that strike the ground and deflect forward in a powerful, swirling air stream up to 500 km long. As the wind moves along the ground, it churns up particles ranging in size from 80 to 2000 micrometers. This churning also kicks up particles in the 0.1 to 80 micrometer range, and these may rise to heights of 500 m or more, the smaller of which remain suspended for hours. These conditions made it imperative to protect the blades and internal mechanisms of the gas turbines in use at Yibal, Sultanate of Oman. Each of the gas turbines is equipped with a packaged intake air cleaning system. Because no single air filter has been designed to handle effectively the extremely high concentrations of particulates encountered during storms, the AAF air filters are multistage filtration systems. These systems are discussed.

Background Very few researchers have reported on procedures of recruiting, obtaining informed consent, and compensating participants in health research in the Arabian Gulf Region. Empirical research can inform the debate about whether to adjust these procedures for culturally diverse settings. Our objective was to delineate procedures related to recruiting, obtaining informed consent, and compensating health research participants in the extremely high-density multicultural setting of Qatar. Methods During a multistage mixed methods project, field observations and qualitative interviews were conducted in a general medicine clinic of a major medical center in Qatar. Participants were chosen based on gender, age, literacy, and preferred language, i.e., Arabic, English, Hindi and Urdu. Qualitative analysis identified themes about recruitment, informed consent, compensation, and other research procedures. Results A total of 153 individuals were approached and 84 enrolled; the latter showed a diverse age range (18 to 75 years); varied language representation: Arabic (n?=?24), English (n?=?20), Hindi (n?=?20), and Urdu (n?=?20); and balanced gender distribution: women (n?=?43) and men (n?=?41). Primary reasons for 30 declinations included concern about interview length and recording. The study achieved a 74% participation rate. Qualitative analytics revealed key themes about hesitation to participate, decisions about participation with family members as well as discussions with them as “incidental research participants”, the informed consent process, privacy and gender rules of the interview environment, reactions to member checking and compensation, and motivation for participating. Vulnerability emerged as a recurring issue throughout the process among a minority of participants. Conclusions This study from Qatar is the first to provide empirical data on recruitment, informed consent, compensation and other research procedures in a general adult population in the Middle East and Arabian Gulf. This investigation illustrates how potential research participants perceive research participation. Fundamentally, Western ethical research principles were applicable, but required flexibility and culturally informed adaptations. PMID:24495499

Background: We present the prevalence and determinants of glaucoma among subjects 40 years of age and older in Qatar. Materials and Methods: This community-based survey was held in 2009 at 49 randomly selected clusters. Demographic details and history of glaucoma was collected by the nurses. Ophthalmologists evaluated the optic disc and retina using a digital camera housed in a mobile van. Visual field was tested with an automated perimeter, the intraocular pressure with an applanation tonometer and the angle of the anterior chamber by gonioscopy. A panel of glaucoma experts diagnosed subjects with glaucoma. Results: This survey enrolled 3,149 (97.3%) participants. The age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of glaucoma in the population aged 40 years and older was 1.73% (95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.69-1.77). Accordingly, 5,641 individuals in this age group in Qatar would have glaucoma. Chronological age of 60 years and older (Odds ratio [OR] 11.1) and the presence of myopia (OR 1.78) were predictors of glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma was diagnosed in 44 (65.7%) individuals with glaucoma. In nine (13.4%) and 15 (20.9%) subjects, angle closure glaucoma and other (post-traumatic, pseudoexfoliation) glaucoma were present. Bilateral blindness (vision <3/60) and severe visual impairment (<6/60) were found in four (6%) and three (4.5%) subjects with glaucoma, respectively. Glaucoma was treated in 36 (54%) subjects. Conclusions: The prevalence of glaucoma among citizens of Qatar aged 40 years and older was 1.71%. Glaucoma was associated with the age of 60 years and older and the presence of myopia. PMID:21731325

The prevalence of Legionella pneumophilia in water systems of residential facilities in Kuwait was performed during the period from November 2007 to November 2011. A total of 204 water samples collected from faucets and showerheads in bathrooms (n = 82), taps in kitchens (n = 51), and water tanks (n = 71), from different locations of residential facilities in Kuwait were screened for Legionella pneumophila by the standard culture method and by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Out of the 204 samples, 89 (43.6%) samples were positive for Legionella spp., 48 (23.5%) samples were detected by the standard culture method, and 85 (41.7%) were detected by RT-PCR. Of the culture positive Legionella samples, counts ranged between 10 to 2250 CFU/L. Serological typing of 48 Legionella isolates revealed that 6 (12.5%) of these isolates belonged to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, 37 (77.1%) isolates to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 3, and 1 isolate each (2.1%) belonged to serogroups 4, 7, and 10. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs) of the 46 environmental L. pneumophila isolates against the 10 antimicrobials commonly used for Legionella infection treatments were determined. Rifampicin was found to be the most active against L. pneumophila serogroups isolates in vitro. PMID:22888441

Residential areas in Kuwait City have witnessed a dramatic rise in subsurface water tables over the last three decades. This water rise phenomenon is attributed mainly to over irrigation practices of private gardens along with leakage from domestic and sewage networks. This paper presents a comprehensive study for urban drainage in two selected areas representing the two hydrogeological settings encountered in Kuwait City. In the first area, a vertical drainage scheme was applied successfully over an area of 1 km2. The system has been under continuous operation and monitoring for more than 4 years without problems, providing a permanent solution for the water rise problem in this area. The hydrogeological system has approached steady state conditions and the water levels have dropped to about 3·5 m below the ground surface. In the second area a dual drainage scheme, composing of horizontal and vertical elements, is proposed. Horizontal elements are suggested in the areas where the deep groundwater contains hazardous gases that may pose environmental problems. The proposed drainage scheme in the second area has not yet been implemented. Field tests were conducted to assess the aquifer parameters in both areas and a numerical model has been developed to predict the long-term response of the hydrogeological system in the two areas under consideration.

This study aimed to investigate gender differences in the fast food intake, health attitudes, and perceptions of fast food among adult Arab consumers aged 19 to 65 years in Kuwait. A total of 499 consumers (252 males, 247 females) were selected at convenience from three shopping malls in Kuwait City. The consumers were interviewed using a specially designed questionnaire. The findings revealed that men were more frequently consumed fast food than women (p < 0.001). Men were significantly more likely to consume "double" burgers (52%) than women (29.9%) (P < 0.001). The great majority of consumers (95%) considered fast food harmful to health. However, the consumers were continued to intake fast food (92%), indicating that health information on fast food not necessarly affects their consumption. Local foods were more likely to be considered fast food if eaten as a sandwich or without a disposal container. It can be concluded that fast food perceptions are influenced by gender, media and socio-cultural factors. Nutrition education programmes should focus on nutritive values of the foods rather than on their "fast food" classification. PMID:25363129

The only natural freshwater resource of Kuwait occurs as lenses floating on the saline groundwater in the northern part of the country, near to the oil fields. Rainwater is the only means of recharge of this limited groundwater resource. This groundwater is used as bottled drinking water and the fresh groundwater aquifer is considered as a strategic drinking water reserve for Kuwait. As a result of the 1991 Gulf War, the upper soil layer has been widely contaminated with crude oil and crude oil combustion products, which are potential pollutants likely affecting the groundwater resources. Significant efforts have been made to assess this pollution. These included: (a) a soil survey for assessing the soil contamination, and (b) leaching experiments to characterise the mobilization of the soil-associated pollutants. Fluorescence measurement techniques were used during field surveys as well as for laboratory testing. In addition, determination of the total extractable matter (TEM), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), and GC/MS measurement of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were performed for the assessments. The laser induced fluorescence (LIF) measurement, having good correlation with the other laboratory measurements, was proved to provide necessary information for the assessment of the oil-contamination level in the desert soil. The subsequent leaching test with water demonstrated the mobilization of the fluorescing compounds (e.g. PAHs), and the alteration in the leaching characteristics of the contamination during the long-term environmental weathering of the oil. PMID:12793688

The aim of this study was to find out the association of media and obesity status with body weight concern among female university students in Kuwait. 228 female students, aged 19-25 years, were selected at convenience from the Women's College in Kuwait. A previously validated questionnaire was used to collect information on the role of media in body concern and how parents, peers and the girls themselves perceived girls' body shapes. Weight and height were gathered by self-reporting. Use of internet and reading women's magazines had a significant impact on dieting by the girls to lose weight (P<0.0007 and P<0.0114, respectively). The mass media had two to three times more influence on obese girls than non-obese girls. Only watching television had a significant impact on girls' body shape concern (P<0.053). About 30% of non-obese and 81% of obese girls were dissatisfied with their current weight. There were significant differences between obese and non-obese girls regarding the girls' views and the views of their peers and parents about the body weight of the girls (P<0.000 for all). The pressure from peers and parents, in addition to the mass media, may lead to disturbed attitudes towards eating among Kuwaiti girls. PMID:23557827

Developments in genetic engineering technology have led to an increase in number of food products that contain genetically engineered crops in the global market. However, due to lack of scientific studies, the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the Kuwaiti food market is currently ambiguous. Foods both for human and animal consumption are being imported from countries that are known to produce GM food. Therefore, an attempt has been made to screen foods sold in the Kuwaiti market to detect GMOs in the food. For this purpose, samples collected from various markets in Kuwait have been screened by SYBR green-based real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. Further confirmation and GMO quantification was performed by TaqMan-based RT-PCR. Results indicated that a significant number of food commodities sold in Kuwait were tested positive for the presence of GMO. Interestingly, certain processed foods were tested positive for more than one transgenic events showing complex nature of GMOs in food samples. Results of this study clearly indicate the need for well-defined legislations and regulations on the marketing of approved GM food and its labeling to protect consumer's rights. PMID:22892687

Mt. Qomolangma (also known as Mt. Everest), the world’s highest mountain, is situated over the world’s highest plateau, the Tibetan Plateau. Because of its height and because of its distance from industrialized areas, the environmental state of the Mt. Qomolangma region can normally be considered “undisturbed”. It is interesting to investigate how this “undisturbed” state has been changing with time and whether it has been influenced by large environmentally disruptive events such as the Kuwait oil fires of 1990 and 1991 (Small, 1991). In order to do this, river water samples were collected from the Rongpu River at Rongpu Temple Station in the summers of 1992 and 1993, as was done in 1975, and aerosol samples were collected in the summer of 1992 at the same station as was done in 1980. River water samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Aerosol samples were analyzed using proton-induced x-ray emission (PIXE) at the University of Fudan in Shanghai. The results show that the concentrations of chemical species in the river water at Rongpu Temple Station were much higher in the summer of 1992 than they were in 1975 and 1993, and the concentrations of atmospheric chemical species were much higher in 1992 than they were in 1980. The environment of the north slope of Mt. Qomolangma was therefore heavily polluted before and / or during the summer of 1992. possibly due to the Kuwait oil fires in 1990 and 1991.

Until the end of the seventies, the knowledge of Jurassic Geology in the State of Kuwait was very limited, since only one deep well was drilled and bottomed in the Triassic sediments. Few scattered wells partially penetrated the Jurassic sequence. During the eighties, appreciable number of wells were drilled through the Jurassic, and added a remarkable volume of information. consequently it was necessary to analyze the new data, in order to try to construct a geological model for the Jurassic in the State of Kuwait. This paper includes a number of isopach maps explaining the Jurassic depositional basin which also helps in trying to explain the Jurassic basin in the Arabian Gulf basin. Structural evolution of the Jurassic sequence indicated an inversion of relief when compared with the Cretaceous sequence. In fact, the main Cretaceous arches were sites of sedimentation troughs during the Jurassic period. This fact marks a revolution in the concepts for the Jurassic oil exploration. One of the very effective methods of the definition of the Jurassic structures is the isopaching of the Gotnia Formation. Najmah, Sargelu and Marrat Formations include the main Jurassic reservoirs which were detected as a result of the exploration activities during the eighties. Selective stratigraphic and structural cross sections have been prepared to demonstrate and explain the nature of the Jurassic sediments.

The radiative effects of the smoke from the Kuwait oil fires were assessed by measuring downwelling and upwelling solar flux, as well as spectral solar extinction beneath, above, and within the smoke plume. Radiative flux divergence measurements were made to determine smoke-induced heating and cooling rates. Seven radiation flight missions were undertaken between May 16 and June 2, 1991, to characterize the plume between the source region in Kuwait and approximately 200 km south, near Manama, Bahrain. We present results from one flight representative of conditions of the composite plume. On May 18, 1991, in a homogeneous, well-mixed region of smoke approximately 100 km downstream of the fires, visible optical depths as high as 2 were measured, at which time transmission to the surface was 8%, while 78% of the solar radiation was absorbed by the smoke. The calculated instantaneous heating rate inside the plume reached 24 K/d. While these effects are probably typical of those regions in the Persian Gulf area directly covered by the smoke, there is no evidence to suggest significant climatic effects in other regions.

Aim The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) in Qatar and to determine the risk factors associated with it. Materials and Methods This is a cross-sectional survey study of men attending the outpatient department at Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar between February 2012 and February 2013. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-5 questionnaire was used for data collection. In addition to the IIEF-5 score, each participant's medical history was taken, with special emphasis on risk factors for ED, including diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), dyslipidemia, coronary artery disease (CAD), and smoking habits, and on their body mass index. Results One thousand fifty-two participants were randomly selected to fill out the IIEF-5 questionnaire. The participants' mean age (±SD) was 41.87 ± 13.24 years. Analysis of replies to the IIEF-5 showed that ED was present in 573 out of 1,052 participants (54.5%). Fifty-six (5%) participants had severe ED, 61 (6%) had moderate ED, 173 (16%) had mild to moderate ED, and 283 (27%) had mild ED. Risk factors for ED that held statistical significance were age (odds ratio [OR] = 2.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.1–4.1, P < 0.001), DM (OR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.7–3.9, P < 0.001), HTN (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.1–2.5, P = 0.012), dyslipidemia (OR = 1.5, 95% CI 1.1–2.4, P = 0.024), and CAD (OR = 3.2, 95% CI 1.3–7.5, P = 0.009). Conclusion We found that the prevalence rate of ED in Qatar is quite similar to the regional reported rates. Overall, we demonstrated that nearly more than half of our participants suffered from ED. Besides age, DM, HTN, CAD, and dyslipidemia were found to be the most important risk factors for ED. Al Naimi A, Majzoub AA, Talib RA, Canguven O, and Al Ansari A. Erectile dysfunction in Qatar: Prevalence and risk factors in 1,052 participants—A pilot study. Sex Med 2014;2:91–95. PMID:25356303

Background Despite rising breast cancer incidence and mortality rates, breast cancer screening (BCS) rates among women in Qatar remain low. Previous studies indicate the need to better understand the many complex beliefs, values, and attitudes that influence Arab women’s health seeking behavior for the development of culturally appropriate and effective intervention strategies to address breast cancer in the Middle East. This study investigates beliefs, attitudes, and BCS practices of Arabic-speaking women in Qatar. Methods A multicenter, cross-sectional quantitative survey of 1,063 (87.5% response rate) Arabic-speaking female Qatari citizens and non-Qatari residents, 35 years of age or older, was conducted in Qatar from March 2011 to July 2011. Associations between beliefs and BCS practice were estimated using chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Participants who adhered to BCS guidelines (BCS practice?=?Yes) were compared to those who did not (BCS practice?=?No). Results In addition to low levels of awareness and low participation rates in BCS, one quarter of the participants stated their doctors talked to them about breast cancer, and less than half of the women interviewed believed breast cancer can be prevented. Women who engaged in BCS practice were more likely to have a doctor who talked to them about breast cancer, to believe they were in good–excellent health, that cancer can be prevented, or that cancer might be hereditary. The majority wanted to know if they had cancer and felt their health care needs were being met. The main reasons given for not planning BCS were lack of a doctor’s recommendation, fear, and embarrassment. Conclusions These findings indicate that a variety of channels (health care providers, media, breast cancer survivors, community leaders) should be utilized to create culturally appropriate breast cancer intervention programs and increased awareness of breast cancer, BCS, and the benefits of early detection of breast cancer. Employment of these measures will reduce breast cancer mortality rates among Arabic-speaking women living in the State of Qatar. PMID:24330708

The medical humanities, a cross-disciplinary field of practice and research that includes medicine, literature, art, history, philosophy, and sociology, is being increasingly incorporated into medical school curricula internationally. Medical humanities courses in Writing, Literature, Medical Ethics and History can teach physicians-in-training communication skills, doctor-patient relations, and medical ethics, as well as empathy and cross-cultural understanding. In addition to providing educational breadth and variety, the medical humanities can also play a practical role in teaching critical/analytical skills. These skills are utilized in differential diagnosis and problem-based learning, as well as in developing written and oral communications. Communication skills are a required medical competency for passing medical board exams in the U.S., Canada, the UK and elsewhere. The medical library is an integral part of medical humanities training efforts. This contribution provides a case study of the Distributed eLibrary at the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar in Doha, and its collaboration with the Writing Program in the Premedical Program to teach and develop the medical humanities. Programs and initiatives of the DeLib library include: developing an information literacy course, course guides for specific courses, the 100 Classic Books Project, collection development of ‘doctors’ stories’ related to the practice of medicine (including medically-oriented movies and TV programs), and workshops to teach the analytical and critical thinking skills that form the basis of humanistic approaches to knowledge. This paper outlines a ‘best practices’ approach to developing the medical humanities in collaboration among the medical library, faculty and administrative stakeholders. PMID:24223240

Objective To describe the etiology, clinical presentation, management and outcome of liver abscess in adult patients admitted at Hamad general hospital, Qatar. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted to involve all adult patients who sequentially encountered episodes of liver abscess during the period from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2010. Blood cultures were drawn from all patients in the first 24 hours after admission. In addition, all patients had stool examinations and indirect Hemagglutination test for Entameba histolytica. Aspiration of abscess was done under CT guidance and aspirated pus was sent for gram stain and culture. Results In total, 67 patients were admitted with liver abscess; 56 patients with pyogenic liver abscess and 11 with amebic liver abscess. There were 61 (91%) males and six (9%) females and their mean age was 47.4 ± 18.5 years. Fever, abdominal pain and vomiting were the commonest presenting features. Of the 56 pyogenic liver abscess patients, four discharged against medical advice and seven refused all invasive procedures and were treated with antibiotics for six weeks. The remaining 44 (79%) patients were treated with antibiotics and one or more invasive procedures, while one patient was treated surgically. The commonest organism isolated was Klebseilla pneumonia found in 21 patients (38%). The mean duration of hospitalization was 13.6 ± 8.1 days; the mean duration of antibiotic therapy was 34.7 ± 40.6 days, and one patient died. In contrast, all amebic liver abscess patients underwent ultrasound guided aspiration and showed good response to metronidazole treatment. Their mean duration of hospitalization was 7.7 ± 4.1 days, mean duration of therapy was 11.8 ± 2.1 days, and all patients were cured. Conclusion Pyogenic liver abscess was more common than amebic liver abscess with Klebseilla pneumonia being the commonest organism. With good medical measures and early drainage of liver abscess, surgical intervention was unnecessary in almost all the cases. PMID:25170406

Public health surveillance systems should be evaluated periodically, and should involve an assessment of system attributes. Objective: Evaluate hospital-based surveillance of communicable diseases using the elements of timeliness and data quality. Method: Descriptive study was conducted of communicable diseases reported at The Cuban Hospital, Qatar during January 2012 to December 2013. The completeness of notifications were assessed for contact number, address, place of work, and date of symptom onset. Time between the symptoms onset and physician notification, time between physician and Supreme Council of Health notification and time between physician notification and lab confirmation were calculated for each case. Analysis: Percentage of cases with documented essential information and 95% confidence interval (CI) were determined. Mean and standard deviation (SD) of time were calculated. Results: 1065 patients were reported, 75% were male, 80% non-qataries and 91.5% were group 1 (high priority) diseases. Symptom onset date was documented in 91.5% (95% CI, 89.8; 93.2) of cases; contact number in 84.7% (82.5;86.8), with lower frequencies for address (68.1%, 65.3;70.9) and place of work (60.5%, 57.5;63.4). Diagnostic time for tuberculosis was 61.7 days (SD 93.0), acute hepatitis 18.5 days (SD 17.6), typhoid fever 17.0 days (SD 11.6 days), other diseases of sexual transmission 300.2 days, chronic hepatitis 165 days and AIDS 154.5 days. The time of notification to the Supreme Council of Health for group 1 diseases was 1.2 days (SD 1.4). Conclusion: Our results show that the quality of essential data and timeliness is not sufficient to meet the needs of the health system. Additional studies should focus on the evaluation of time delay for diagnosis of high priority diseases.

Three Total Petroleum Systems each consisting of one assessment unit have been identified in the Ghaba and Fahud Salt Basin Provinces of north-central Oman. One Total Petroleum System and corresponding assessment unit, the North Oman Huqf/`Q'? Haushi(!) Total Petroleum System (201401) and Ghaba-Makarem Combined Structural Assessment Unit (20140101), were identified for the Ghaba Salt Basin Province (2014). In the Fahud Salt Basin Province, however, two overlapping Total Petroleum Systems (TPS) were recognized: 1) the North Oman Huqf ? Shu'aiba(!) TPS (201601); Fahud-Huqf Combined Structural Assessment Unit (20160101), and 2) the Middle Cretaceous Natih(!) TPS (201602); Natih-Fiqa Structural/Stratigraphic Assessment Unit (20160201). The boundary for each Total Petroleum System also defines the boundary of the corresponding assessment unit and includes all trap styles and hydrocarbon producing reservoirs within the petroleum system. In both the Ghaba and Fahud Salt Basin Provinces, hydrocarbons were generated from several deeply-buried source rocks within the Infracambrian Huqf Supergroup. One general `North Oman Huqf' type oil is dominant in the Fahud Salt Basin. Oils in the Ghaba Salt Basin are linked to at least two distinct Huqf source-rock units based on oil geochemistry: a general North Oman Huqf-type oil source and a more dominant `questionable unidentified-source' or `Q'-type Huqf oil source. These two Huqf-sourced oils are commonly found as admixtures in reservoirs throughout north-central Oman. Hydrocarbons generated from Huqf sources are produced from a variety of reservoir types and ages ranging from Precambrian to Cretaceous in both the Ghaba and Fahud Salt Basin Provinces. Clastic reservoirs of the Gharif and Al Khlata Formations, Haushi Group (M. Carboniferous to L. Permian), dominate oil production in the Ghaba Salt Basin Province and form the basis for the Huqf/`Q' ? Haushi(!) TPS. In contrast, the Lower Cretaceous Shu'aiba and Middle Cretaceous Natih limestones account for most of the production in the Fahud Salt Basin with about 50 percent of the basin's production from porous, fractured Shu'aiba limestones in Yibal field, thus the name North Oman Huqf ? Shu'aiba(!) TPS. Deep gas is produced mainly from Middle Cambrian to Lower Ordovician clastic reservoirs of the Haima Supergroup. Traps in nearly all hydrocarbon accumulations of these petroleum systems are mainly structural and were formed by one or more mechanisms. These trap-forming mechanisms were mainly periodic halokinesis of the thick Cambrian Ara Salt and consequent folding and faulting from basin loading, rifting, or other major tectonic events, particularly those events forming the Oman Mountains and associated foreland-basin system during the Late Cretaceous and Late Tertiary. Many of the future new-field targets will likely be low-relief, subtle structures, as many of the large structures have been drilled. Oman's recent interest and commitments to liquid natural gas export make deep gas a primary objective in the two North Oman Huqf petroleum systems. New-field exploration of deep gas and exploring deeper targets for gas in existing fields will likely identify a significant gas resource in the next thirty years. Moreover, salt-diapir flank traps in these two North Oman Huqf petroleum systems and salt basin provinces have gone essentially untested and will likely be targeted in the near-future. The Middle Cretaceous Natih(!) TPS is a small efficient system of the Fahud Salt Basin. Natih source rocks are only mature in the Late Cretaceous/Tertiary foredeep and production is primarily from Natih reservoirs; minor production from the Shu'aiba limestone is documented along fault-dip structures. Most traps are structural and are related to development of the foreland basin and formation of the Oman Mountains. Future targets of the Natih TPS will be less obvious than those of Fahud and Natih fields and likely includ

This paper describes the development of a repair strategy for the operational phase of the Oman India Pipeline based upon the probability and consequences of a pipeline failure. Risk analyses and cost benefit analyses performed provide guidance on the level of deepwater repair development effort appropriate for the Oman India Pipeline project and identifies critical areas toward which more intense development effort should be directed. The risk analysis results indicate that the likelihood of a failure of the Oman India Pipeline during its 40-year life is low. Furthermore, the probability of operational failure of the pipeline in deepwater regions is extremely low, the major proportion of operational failure risk being associated with the shallow water regions.

Major development projects, within the third review of the Kuwait Master Plan (KMP3), are proposed for the period (2005–2030). These projects include, among other things, the construction of new towns, industrial areas, power plants, highways, hospitals, waterfront projects and sanitary projects. All of these projects are well known to have adverse environmental impacts unless necessary precautions are taken in their

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to set guidelines for the development and review of environmental impact statements (EIS) for major development projects proposed in the third review of the Kuwait Master Plan (KMP3). Best practices for environmental quality management to alleviate the impact of these projects on the environment are discussed. Design\\/methodology\\/approach – The paper selects six

The Faculty of Dentistry, Kuwait University, was designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Primary Oral Health Care (POHC) in 2011. This article aimed to describe the following: (1) the background for this nomination, (2) the WHO Collaborating Centre for POHC, its terms of reference and 5 activities, (3) the primary health care concept as it was established in Alma-Ata, (4) the oral health situation in Kuwait and in the Middle-East region and, finally, (5) how POHC policy should be implemented in Kuwait and this region. It can be concluded that, because the caries experience is very high in Kuwait and in the other countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region, good POHC programmes should be designed and implemented in this region. The Faculty of Dentistry will strengthen its research tradition and as a WHO Collaborating Centre for POHC will try to collect information and experience from POHC in this region and exchange ideas between POHC experts in this region on how these programmes could be further developed. This will happen according to the terms of reference and activity plans of the WHO Collaborating Centre for POHC approved by the WHO Global Oral Health Programme. PMID:24504110

Issues of assessment design and implementation in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have attracted some attention over recent years, but teachers' philosophies about assessment remain underexplored. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study into the assessment roles and philosophies of a group of teachers of English as a…

Four main levels comprise the educational ladder in Kuwait: kindergarten, primary, intermediate, and secondary. Ministry of Education plans to improve education on these levels and in the institutes which offer two years of specialized training beyond secondary school are outlined in the document. The principles of separate but equal education for…

This content analysis examines postings on four Internet political discussion forums based in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. The study of Arabic-language sites concludes that the discussions cover a variety of topics and offer vibrant and complex conversations on political issues in the Arab world. Unlike in the US and European countries, the study found that social issues were

This research study investigates effects of character education activities on the self-esteem of intellectually able and less able students in the lower elementary level in Kuwait. The participants were 39 students in grade three with an average age of eight years old. Students were first divided into two ability subgroups (intellectually able vs.…

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major global health burden with distinct geographic public health significance. Oman is a country with intermediate HBV carrier prevalence; however, little is known about the incidence of HBV variants in circulation. We investigated the HBV genotype distribution, the occurrence of antiviral resistance, and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) escape mutations in HBsAg-positive patients in Oman. Methods Serum samples were collected from 179 chronically HBV-infected patients enrolled in various gastroenterology clinics in Oman. HBV genotypes were determined by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Mutations in the HBV polymerase and the HBsAg gene were characterized by mutational analysis. Results HBV genotypes D (130/170; 76.47%) and A (32/170; 18.28%) are predominant in Oman. The HBV genotypes C and E were less frequent (each 1.18%), while the HBV genotypes B, G, F, and H were not detected. Four patients revealed HBV genotype mixtures (HBV-A/D and D/C). The analyses of vaccine escape mutations yield that 148/170 (87.06%) HBV sequences were wild type. 22/170 (12.94%) HBV sequences showed mutations in the “a” determinant of the HBsAg domain. Two patients showed the described HBV vaccine escape mutation sP120T. 8/146 (5.48%) HBV isolates harbored mutations in the HBV polymerase known to confer resistance against antiviral therapy. Especially the lamivudine resistance mutations rtL180M/rtM204V and rtM204I were detected. Conclusion This study shows the distribution of HBV genotypes, therapy resistance, and vaccine escape mutations in HBV-infected patients in Oman. Our findings will have a major impact on therapy management and diagnostics of chronic HBV infections in Oman to control HBV infection in this intermediate HBV-endemic country. PMID:24835494

The practice of consanguineous marriage has been the culturally preferred form of marriage in most Arab and the Middle Eastern countries, including Oman, but due to a paucity of population-based data in the past there is a dearth of information about its form and dynamics in Oman. Recent national-level surveys allow this gap to be filled. This paper examines the prevalence, trends and determinants of consanguineous marriages in Oman using data from the 2000 Oman National Health Survey. The results indicate a very high prevalence of consanguineous marriage in Oman, as more than half (52%) of marriages are consanguineous. First cousin unions are the most common type of consanguineous unions, constituting 39% of all marriages and 75% of all consanguineous marriages. The study observed various patterns of consanguinity, some of them common with other Arab nations, and some unique in nature. Women's age at marriage, employment, place of childhood residence and geographical region appear to be significant determinants of consanguineous marriages. Consanguineous marriage shows a strong association with marital stability, early age at marriage and early-age childbearing. There has been no appreciable change in the prevalence of consanguineous unions in Oman over the last four decades despite massive socioeconomic development and modernization. However, recent marriage cohorts show slight declining trends. The results suggest that consanguinity is likely to remain stable in the future or decline at a slow rate. Specific health education and genetic counselling should be followed in line with WHO recommendations to minimize the negative health consequences of consanguinity for child health. PMID:22317781

In the optically complex coastal marine waters of the Kuwait Bay, the propagation of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) has become a severe issue over the last decade affecting aquaculture a primary component of the Kuwaiti economy. Although several remote sensing based methods of algal bloom detection exist today, few may accurately detect the concentration and identify the type of HABs in Case II waters. The purpose of this study is: (1) assessment of the method that best detects and identifies algal blooms in general and HABs in particular, in the Kuwait Bay, and (2) identification of the factors controlling the occurrence of HABs. Fluorescence Line Height (FLH), Empirical, Bio-Optical, and Operational Methods as well as Ocean Colour 3 Band Ratio (OC3M), Garver-Siegel-Maritorena Model (GSM), and General Inherent Optical Property (GIOP) Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) algorithms were applied to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images acquired (07/2002 to 07/2012) over the Kuwait Bay and areas as far east as Shatt Al-Arab and as far south as N. 29.284 (Lat.), E. 50.047 (Long.) decimal degrees. In-situ data (bloom days: 50; sampling locations: 64) collected (09/1999 to 07/2011) from the Kuwait Bay was provided by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research and was used to test the reliability of the satellite-based inferences. Tasks accomplished and findings reached include: (1) comparison of in situ to estimated OC3M, GSM, and GIOP chlorophyll concentrations over the sampling locations for the time period 2002 to 2009 showed that OC3M outperformed the two other techniques in predicting the observed distribution and in replicating the measured concentration of the in-situ Chl-a data; (2) applying the OC3M algorithm to a total of 4039 scenes and using threshold values of 3, 4, and 5 mg/m3 Chl-a concentrations we inferred 371, 202, and 124 occurrences in the Kuwait Bay that met their respective threshold; (3) applying the operational method we successfully identified 13 of the reported blooms in Kuwait Bay on cloud free days; the majority of the unidentified events were on cloudy days. This was accomplished by generating difference images between the current satellite OC3M Chl-a concentration image and a background (mean of previous 60 days + 1 mg/m3) using a 14-day window between the analyzed image and those used in the generation of the mean. Predicted blooms in the Kuwait Bay in years 2002 through 2012 are 30, 84, 101, 96, 100, 97, 66, 60, 91, 81 and 29 blooms, respectively. These estimates exceed the observed occurrences and may be attributed to sampling bias (most blooms found >2 km from the shoreline) or due to uncertainties introduced by applying the OC3M algorithms to shallow water (mean depth Kuwait Bay: 22 m) cases; and (4) the temporal correlation of the distribution of the algal blooms in Kuwait Bay with those at the mouth of Shatt Al-Arab suggests a causal effect. Further efforts to more accurately identify HABS and to reduce uncertainties in Chl-a concentration are currently underway.

Introduction Oman's recent experience in health workforce development may be viewed against the backdrop of the situation just three or four decades ago, when it had just a few physicians and nurses (mostly expatriate). All workforce categories in Oman have grown substantially over the last two decades. Increased self-reliance was achieved despite substantial growth in workforce stocks. Stocks of physicians and nurses grew significantly during 1985–2007. This development was the outcome of well-considered national policies and plans. This case outlines how Oman is continuing to turn around its excessive dependence on expatriate workforce through strategic workforce development planning. Case description The Sultanate's early development initiatives focused on building a strong health care infrastructure by importing workforce. However, the policy-makers stressed national workforce development for a sustainable future. Beginning with the formulation of a strategic health workforce development plan in 1991, the stage was set for adopting workforce planning as an essential strategy for sustainable health development and workforce self-reliance. Oman continued to develop its educational infrastructure, and began to produce as much workforce as possible, in order to meet health care demands and achieve workforce self-reliance. Other policy initiatives with a beneficial impact on Oman's workforce development scenario were: regionalization of nursing institutes, active collaboration with universities and overseas specialty boards, qualitative improvement of the education system, development of a strong continuing professional development system, efforts to improve workforce management, planned change management and needs-based micro/macro-level studies. Strong political will and bold policy initiatives, dedicated workforce planning and educational endeavours have all contributed to help Oman to develop its health workforce stocks and gain self-reliance. Discussion and evaluation Oman has successfully innovated workforce planning within a favorable policy environment. Its intensive and extensive workforce planning efforts, with the close involvement of policy-makers, educators and workforce managers, have ensured adequacy of suitable workforce in health institutions and its increased self-reliance in the health workforce. Conclusion Oman's experience in workforce planning and development presents an illustration of a country benefiting from successful application of workforce planning concepts and tools. Instead of being complacent about its achievements so far, every country needs to improve or sustain its planning efforts in this way, in order to circumvent the current workforce deficiencies and to further increase self-reliance and improve workforce efficiency and effectiveness. PMID:19519912

Super Cyclone Gonu was the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea. Gonu developed sustained winds reaching 240 km/h with gusts up to 315 km/h and an estimated central pressure of 920 mbar by late 4 June 2007 while centered east-southeast of Masirah Island on the coast of Oman. Gonu weakened after encountering dry air and cooler waters prior to the June 5 landfall on the eastern-most tip of Oman, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the Arabian Peninsula. Gonu dropped heavy rainfall near the eastern coastline, reaching up to 610 mm which caused wadi flooding and heavy damage. The shore parallel cyclone track resulted in coastal damage due to storm surge and storm wave impact along a 300km stretch of Omani coastline. Maximum high water marks, overland flow depths, and inundation distances were measured along the Gulf of Oman during the 1-4 August 2007 reconnaissance. The high water marks peaked at Ras al Hadd at the eastern tip of Oman exceeding 5 meters, surpassing 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami runup at every corresponding point. The cyclone caused $4 billion in damage and at least 49 deaths in the Sultanate of Oman. Prior to Gonu, only two similar cyclones struck the coast of Oman in the last 1200 years (in 865 and 1890). The 1890 storm, which remains the worst natural disaster in Oman's history, drenched the coast from Soor to Suwayq causing inland wadi flooding. Matrah and Muscat were the hardest hit areas with many ships being washed ashore and wrecked. The storm is known to have killed about 727 people and caused huge agricultural and shipping losses. Similarly, the 865 storm affected areas between Gobrah and Sohar. A high-resolution finite element ADCIRC mesh of the Arabian Sea is created to model storm surge and is coupled with STWAVE. Modeling results from Gonu are compared to measurements and used to determine the contribution from storm surge and waves. The 1890 and 865 storms are modeled with standard cyclone parameters and results are compared to historical records to estimate the storm tracks. These results can be used to assess the coastal vulnerability in the Gulf of Oman.

In northern Oman (Jebel Akhdar and foothills) Hauterivian to early Aptian shallow carbonate platforms are widely extending and pass laterally to slope and basin environments in the Nakhl zone. Progradational geometries are identified in that zone where significant correlation between thickness and sediment types supports a prominent tectonic control. The platform records four main sedimentary breaks (drowning events). Early Barremian (lower Lekhwair Formation), Late Barremian (basal Kharaib Formation), lowermost early Aptian (upper Kharaib Formation) and middle Aptian (Shuaiba-Al Hassanat formations boundary). The late Aptian-early Albian hiatus (pre-Nahr Umr unconformity) is regarded as an early Albian tectonically driven erosion. In the Nakhl zone, coral-rudist limestones of late Aptian-early Albian (lower Al Hassanat Formation) document an east-west ribbon platform, the southward extension of which was obscured by the middle Albian erosions and rudist limestones of middle to late Albian (upper Al Hassanat Formation), a lateral equivalent of the Nahr Umr circa littoral shaly sediments, document an east-west-trending linear platform. The foregoing points out a northward progradation coeval with a southward transgressive major trend for the Hauterivian-early Aptian interval, a faulted margin corresponding with the Nakhl zone active during the Aptian-Albian, a late Aptian ribbon platform coeval with the Bab basin initiation southward, a regional uplifting and truncation during the early-Albian (Austrian phase), whereas shallow-water carbonates are still forming at the edge of the former platform, and an active linear platform at the northern edge of the Nahr Umr basin, the corresponding drowning contemporaneous with the onset of the Cenomanian platform eastward.

Hydrological, ADCP, and drifting buoy data obtained during the GOGP99 Experiment in October and early November 1999 are analyzed to describe the Persian Gulf Water (PGW) core and the regional circulation in the Gulf of Oman. The warm and salty PGW core flows out of the Strait of Hormuz heading southeastward unto (25°20?N, 57°E), approximately. From there, it cascades down

Background: An early discharge from postnatal policy has been practiced at Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation. Aim: This observational cohort study was conducted to evaluate the effect of early postnatal discharge practice on neonatal morbidity in the State of Qatar. Setting and Design: This is a data-based cohort study. All neonates ?28 days visiting the Pediatric Emergency Centers (PEC) were evaluated for the need for re-hospitalization, referral for clinic appointments, or observation at the PEC setting. Materials and Methods: Differences in outcome rates were compared in neonates who visited in the first 24 hours postnatal discharge (2-3 days of life) and those who visited after the third day of life. Statistical Analysis: Crude differences in incidence rate assessed by ?2 or Fisher exact test were applicable. Results: Of 3528 PEC visits for 1915 neonates, 1.7% required admission (3.1% of neonates), 8.4% were observed, 1.1% were referred to a clinic, and the remaining were discharged home. There was no significant difference in re-hospitalization rates of neonates visiting PEC in the first 3 days and those visiting at a later age (OR 0.78, 95% CL 0.19-3.23, P=1). However, early presentations to PEC was more likely to result in periods of observation (OR 1.88, 95% CL 1.17-3.04, P=0.01), or clinic referral (OR 4.96, 95% CL 2.16-11.38, P=0.001) when compared to older neonates. Moreover, those who presented early were significantly more likely to revisit any of the PECs with in the 28 days period (OR 3.20, 95% CL 2.17-4.97, P<0.0001). Conclusion: These results clearly demonstrate the need for a structured early post-discharge follow-up service that addresses the needs of all neonates and their families. The results, however, do not provide sufficient evidence that delaying postnatal discharges for apparently healthy neonates will provide significant health benefits to these neonates and their families. PMID:24027739

In a combat environment, troop safety and installation security are paramount. Documentation of the frequent use of explosive devices by insurgents in Southwest Asia has increased the need for augmentation of defensive capabilities. Military working dogs (MWDs) are trained and certified to perform missions supporting security and detection of explosives. Challenges arise in theater because the number of certified dogs available can be limited and the standards of housing and care that are available in the continental United States are not usually available in a combat theater. Planning, preparation, and training of MWD handlers,animal care specialists, and Veterinary Corps officers will maximize mission performance and MWD health. Some of th echallenges and needs associated with management and care of the MWDs in the Kuwait theater of operation are discussed. Suggested improvements to the current deployment readiness paradigm are offered from the perspective of a staff veterinarian who was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004. PMID:17076454

The toxicity of certain heavy metals such as Pb, Hg and Cd is well documented. The effect of environmental pollution on contamination of foods and on their safety for human consumption is a serious global public concern, and data on this subject have been reported by several investigators. Since traces of heavy metals are found in almost every food commodity, an estimation of the intake of food contaminants is essential and differs considerably from country to country. In Kuwait, data are not available on the levels of toxic metals in foods consumed by the various age groups nor are there any Kuwaiti standards at present on the permissible limits of these metals in various food commodities. Hence, the dietary intake of these elements cannot be determined accurately. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of certain toxic metals in locally produced animal products. 19 refs., 2 tabs.

This study was carried out in metropolitan Kuwait with a sound level meter to assess peak hour and off-peak hour noise level.\\u000a In local\\/collector streets, noise ranged between 56.0 to 79.2 dBA and 55.3 to 76.4 dBA; in arterial streets, 62.3 to 89.2 dBA\\u000a and 59.6 to 78.9 dBA; and in freeways, 66.7 to 94.8 dBA and 64.9 to 89.1 dBA during peak and off-peak hour

Back-up batteries are intended to meet the immediate requirements of the plant during emergencies or failures in the control supplies. Battery maintenance plays a very important role in running the plant continuously. There are approximately 1000 battery charges and uninterruptable power supplies (UPSs) in petroleum development Oman (PDO), each battery charger is attached to, on average, 84 cells. To allow

The Ministry of Water Resources successfully conducted an experimental study on the use of solar power to desalinate brackish ground water at their Heelat ar Rakah camp, a remote location some 900 km south of Muscat, the capital of Oman. The system comprises components for pre-treatment of pumped well water to separate hydrogen sulphide, acid dosing to correct the pH,

The Dhofar is the southernmost province of Oman. It is a region that is unique in the Arabian Peninsula since from June to September it experiences a monsoon season. Precipitation takes the form of a heavy mist and a persistent drizzle; during the monsoon season up to 15 in. of rain fall, most of which is confined to the Jabal

Evaluation of rock velocities and comparison with velocity profiles defined by seismic refraction experiments are a crucial approach for understanding the petrological structure of the crust. In this study, we calculated the seismic wave velocities of various types of rocks from the Oman ophiolite in order to constrain a petrological structure of the oceanic crust. Christensen & Smewing (1981, JGR)

A convenience sample of 690 business employees completed a 30-item, three-section IS ethics questionnaire, 129 in the western USA, 176 in Oman, 215 in South Korea, and 170 in Bolivia. Section 1 concerned employee use of employer IS resources for personal entertainment; section 2 concerned employee use of employer IS resources for the gain of self, family, or friends; and

BACKGROUND: Errors have been the concern of providers and consumers of health care services. However, consumers' perception of medical errors in developing countries is rarely explored. The aim of this study is to assess community members' perceptions about medical errors and to analyse the factors affecting this perception in one Middle East country, Oman. METHODS: Face to face interviews were

Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV) is a bipartite begomovirus (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae) that causes economic losses to cucurbits, particularly watermelon, across the Middle East and North Africa. Recently squash (Cucurbita moschata) grown in an experimental field in Oman was found to display symptoms such as leaf curling, yellowing and stunting, typical of a begomovirus infection. Sequence analysis of the virus isolated from squash showed 97.6–99.9% nucleotide sequence identity to previously described WmCSV isolates for the DNA A component and 93–98% identity for the DNA B component. Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation to Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in the development of symptoms fifteen days post inoculation. This is the first bipartite begomovirus identified in Oman. Overall the Oman isolate showed the highest levels of sequence identity to a WmCSV isolate originating from Iran, which was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis. This suggests that WmCSV present in Oman has been introduced from Iran. The significance of this finding is discussed. PMID:22852046

Traditional surface irrigation systems of aflaj provide more than 60 per cent of the fresh water supply in the Sultanate of Oman and irrigate around 55 per cent of the cropped area. Over the years, these systems have set traditions for intertemporal water resources allocation and a process of users rights established on ownership and\\/or rent basis. A management structure

The educational history of the Sultanate of Oman has undergone rapid development. In 1970, there were three primary schools. Today, there is universal education, with modern public and private institutions. In 1985, the first teacher education institutions offered a diploma programme. In 1994, six Colleges of Education, offering a degree, were…

Describes the prevalence and patterns of vision impairment in the Sultanate of Oman. Reviews the types of special education and rehabilitation services offered and future priorities. Concludes that, although at present, few visually impaired children are receiving services, a special education system is evolving into a community-based approach to…

The education system in general and ELT in particular are rigidly controlled in the Sultanate of Oman, which gives teachers little room to supplement the mandated textbook. This article, hence, discusses ideologies about the "flexible" ELT syllabus and the role of the teacher's professionalism in the syllabus implementation process. One of the…

This paper provides a summary of development which has been conducted to date for the ultra deep, diverless pipeline repair system for the proposed Oman to India Gas Pipeline. The work has addressed critical development areas involving testing and/or prototype development of tools and procedures required to perform a diverless pipeline repair in water depths of up to 3,525 m.

This paper provides a summary of the collapse test program conducted as part of the technical development for the Ultra Deep Oman to India Pipeline. The paper describes the motivation for conducting the collapse test program, outlines the test objectives and procedures, presents the results obtained, and draws conclusions on the factors affecting collapse resistance.

A survey of higher education in the Sultanate of Oman found management by several government entities, no tradition of charging fees or tuition, and supply of higher education inadequate to demand. Proposes a framework for a consolidated management system and market-oriented reforms. (EV)

The post-secondary education sector in Oman consists of a complex suite of public and private institutions, in a number of distinct segments, offering local and foreign programmes developed through their respective quality assurance systems. The Omani higher education quality management system is undergoing significant advances to address this…

In the desert country of Oman, available water resources are scarce and scattered. In most locations where water can be accessed, this resource is harnessed by oases planted to date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) and other crops. So far, little is known about the site-specific conditions determining the existence, size and type of these oases. Remote sensing and image processing

Summary This paper presents some of the results of the author's first year of doctoral research. Despite the availability of watches, stars are still used in some villages in northern Oman to time the allocation of water for irrigation by an age-old method of tapping groundwater by gravity flow. It appears that the use of stars survives mainly in smaller

The apparent sustainability of the millennia-old mountain oases of northern Oman has recently received considerable attention. However, little is known about crop growth and water use efficiency of these systems. To fill this gap of knowledge evapotranspiration and water use indices were modeled for nine field crops and date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) at Balad Seet, a typical oasis in

Water is the most important determinant of agricultural production in Oman. Remarkable public and private investments have been drawn into water resources development and into the modernization of the farming techniques in order to strengthen the contribution of agriculture to the national economy. In spite of these technological improvements and significant investments, water allocation remains a major policy issue. This

Groundwater in eastern Arabia is commonly associated with relatively flat-bedded aquifer systems in Tertiary marine limestone. However in the Sultanate of Oman, there are a number of unusual flow systems in which large freshwater lenses and plumes occur as discrete bodies within, but separate from the broader aquifer system. Each of the occurrences requires special management considerations as the specifics

This paper reports on results from a case study on water management within a traditional, falaj irrigation system in northern Oman. In the planning and design of regional irrigation development programs, generalized assumptions are frequently made as to the efficiency of traditional surface irrigation systems. Although qualitative accounts abound, very little quantitative research has been conducted on on-farm water management

As with most arid regions, the gap between increasing demands for freshwater and the limited available natural resources has increased dramatically in the Sultanate of Oman. This is mainly due to the expansion in agricultural production and improvements in the standard of living with increasing demands per capita for good quality water. Major aquifers are affected from excessive pumping at

A shallow alluvial coastal aquifer in the Batinah area of Oman, with sea-water intrusion that extends several kilometres inland, has been studied experimentally, analytically and numerically. The water table is proved to have a trough caused by intensive pumping from a fresh groundwater zone and evaporation from the saline phreatic surface. Resistivity traverses perpendicular to the shoreline indicated no fresh

Prevalence of autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) in Oman is unknown. We conducted a cross-sectional study to estimate the prevalence of ASD among 0-14 year old children. Diagnoses were made as per DSM-IV-TR criteria and supplemented with information collected with the standard Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) questionnaire. A total 113 cases of…

Oman relies on gas and oil resources fuels for almost all of its energy needs. Almost 99% of its power generation is based on natural gas. However, the country's natural gas supplies are currently largely committed, and it may become a net importer soon. Therefore, there is a need to look for alternative energy resources. This paper presents a review

Capripox was shown to be endemic in all the provinces of the Yemen Arab Republic and the Sultanate of Oman. Investigations into outbreaks of capripox indicated that some strains of capripoxvirus were infecting both sheep and goats and this was confirmed by inoculating experimental sheep and goats with isolates derived from field cases. The husbandry methods prevalent in the Middle

Approximately 2-7% of the Omani population has chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. To decrease this burden, universal childhood hepatitis B vaccination was introduced in Oman in 1990. The hepatitis B vaccination strategy and reported coverage were reviewed. To assess the impact of the program on chronic HBV seroprevalence, a nationally representative seroprevalence study was conducted in Oman in 2005. Since 1991, hepatitis B vaccination in Oman has reached almost every eligible child, with reported coverage of ? 97% for the birth dose and ? 94% for three doses. Of 175 children born pre-vaccine introduction, 16 (9.1%) had evidence of HBV exposure, and 4 (2.3%) had evidence of chronic infection. Of 1,890 children born after vaccine introduction, 43 (2.3%) had evidence of HBV exposure, and 10 (0.5%) had evidence of chronic infection. Oman has a strong infant hepatitis B vaccination program, resulting in a dramatic decrease in chronic HBV seroprevalence. PMID:23958910

This paper examines preschool education in Egypt, Oman, and Japan in the light of the comparative education approach developed by George Bereday utilizing description, interpretation, juxtaposition, and comparison. The literature of early childhood education is surveyed, beginning with the three most influential pioneers: Friedrich Wilhelm…

Fractures are important conduits for fluid flow in the Earth's crust. To better understand the spatial and tem- poral relations among fracturing, fracture sealing, and fluid flow, we have studied fractures, faults, and veins in a large dome (Jabal Akhdar) in the Oman mountains. Our work combines the results of meso- and micro- structural analyses and stable isotope analyses. Seven

Objectives: Pathways to care or care-seeking, which translate into healthcare utilisation, have been investigated in many parts of the world, but there is a dearth of studies in the Arabian Gulf. The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of attendees at primary healthcare centres in northern Oman and their reasons for visiting. Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 676 participants attending 12 primary healthcare centres between June and July 2006. The catchment area was selected to represent the population structure in Oman. The 12-item questionnaire was read to every fifth eligible patient entering each healthcare centre for a routine appointment. Analyses were conducted using univariate statistics. Results: About a third (n = 200; 29.6%) of the participants had a history of chronic illness; 231 (34%) were on regular medications; 211 (31%) were taking part in health education programmes; 130 (19%) were open to complementary medicine. The majority of the participants mentioned physician’s advice (n = 570; 84%) as the strongest reason for seeking consultation. Conversely, physician’s advice was strongly related to particular demographic factors. Conclusion: This observational study identified some characteristics and reasons for visiting healthcare facilities in northern Oman. These are discussed within the context of prevailing sociocultural factors. The implications for the prevention and detection of ill health in Oman are also discussed. PMID:23862030

For the third in the past 20 years the world has experienced an interruption in the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, and shut down of Kuwait oil production capacity followed by the United Nations boycott of Iraqi oil removed 8 percent of the world's oil supply. The result was a sharp increase in the process of crude oil and petroleum products. These events raised numerous questions about the performance of energy markets and energy firms. This report supplies a first answer for some of those questions. At the time this report was prepared the invasion has been in effect for 90 days. Not all the data is available to fully answer every question. Some issues can only be completely resolved after more time has passed in which the invasion and its effects have had an opportunity to be fully assimilated. This report was specifically requested by W. Henson Moore, Deputy Secretary of Energy as a way of supplying the American public with what could be said about the current situation. Rumors abound and mixconceptions have proliferated. This report strives to give a proper perspective on some of the more vexing issues which the invasion produced. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has addressed many questions in this report. By the way of summary these are the 10 most most frequently asked questions and EIA's quick answers. The page references tell the reader where to look in the report for further explanation. These are not the only issues addressed and EIA hopes that readers will be able to satisfy their curiosity about their own questions within the pages of this report.

Plate tectonics has established a framework for geoscientists to understand most geologic/tectonic processes that shaped our present-day Earth. 'Obduction', the emplacement of young, dense oceanic lithosphere (ophiolites) on top of older lighter continental lithosphere remains, however, a rather odd phenomenon. Some ophiolites are fundamentally similar to young oceanic crust and it is hence assumed that they were obducted as thrust sheets at the onset of continental subduction in a previously intra-oceanic subduction setting. The Peri-Arabic obduction corresponded to a spectacular, almost synchronous thrust movement along thousands of km from Turkey to Oman. At the eastern margin of the Arabian plate, the world's largest and best preserved ophiolite was emplaced in only a few My during Upper Cretaceous and is exposed today atop the Oman Mountain range. Although being the best studied ophiolite in the world, rather little is still known about the internal structure of the ophiolite and the Oman Mountains. The dimension of the ophiolite is large enough (~700 km) to be studied with seismological methods, providing thus a rare setting to investigate oceanic crust on land without ocean bottom installations. We have deployed a network of 40 broadband seismometers across the Oman Mountains in Oct/Nov 2013 for passive seismic registration for a duration of ca. 15 months. The network is complemented by 10 permanent stations in the area operated by the Earthquake Monitoring Center in Oman. Aims of the project include: - Seismological imaging of the geometry and internal properties of obducted oceanic, and its underlying continental lithosphere. - Regional tomographic velocity models will provide constraints on geodynamic processes that led to large scale obduction. - Investigating the "quiet" Makran subduction zone for local seismicity will improve understanding of seismic hazard on the eastern Arabian plate.

Moored observations in the northern Arabian Sea (NAS) show substantial velocity, temperature and dissolved oxygen fluctuations, accompanied by episodic high salinity intrusions with maximum values?37.3 on time scales of 2-10 days after the passage of Cyclone Gonu in 2007. These events are characterized by a rapid increase in temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen followed by an abrupt decline. The mechanisms behind these high salinity events are investigated using a comprehensive dataset of temperature and salinity profiles from ARGO floats and sea surface height anomaly maps. The spatial and temporal distribution of the Persian/Arabian Gulf outflow to the Sea of Oman is also studied using ARGO profiles. Persian Gulf water (PGW) is mainly measured close to the Strait of Hormuz or along the Oman coast on the continental slope in the Sea of Oman. Both mooring and ARGO data show that high salinity PGW can be advected off the slope and into the interior. More high salinity water is measured in the interior of the Sea of Oman within three months after the Gonu passage in summer 2007, which is caused by the combination effect of the oceanic responses to Cyclone Gonu and a clockwise eddy circulation located at northern Ras al Hadd. At other times, the high salinity water appears more in isolated patches and rare in the interior. This study provides a first look at the high salinity events appearing after Gonu and the properties and dynamics of the PGW in the northern Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman.

Objectives: Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations form distinct mutational panels in different populations and subgroups. The frequency of cystic fibrosis (CF) mutations and prevalence are unknown in Oman. This study aimed to elucidate the mutational panel and prevalence of CF for the North Al Batinah (NAB) region in Oman and to estimate the national prevalence of CF based on the carrier screening of unrelated volunteers. Methods: The study included retrospective and prospective analyses of CF cases in the NAB region for 1998–2012. Genetic analysis of disease-causing mutations was conducted by screening of the entire coding sequence and exon-intron borders. The obtained mutational panel was used for the carrier screening of 408 alleles of unrelated and unaffected Omani individuals. Results: S549R and F508del were the major mutations, accounting for 89% of mutations in the patient population. Two private mutations, c.1733–1734delTA and c.1175T>G, were identified in the patient cohort. Two carriers, one for F508del and another for S549R, were identified by screening of the volunteer cohort, resulting in a predicted prevalence for Oman of 1 in 8,264. The estimated carrier frequency of CF in Oman was 1 in 94. The carrier frequency in the NAB region was 3.9 times higher. Conclusion: The mutational panel for the NAB region and the high proportion of S549R mutations emphasises the need for specific screening for CF in Oman. The different distribution of allele frequencies suggests a spatial clustering of CF in the NAB region. PMID:25097766

The relative monthly solar radiation in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia (300 km southeast of Kuwait City) was reduced to 75% of the recent 10-year mean value by the torching of the first 50 of many oil wells and production facilities in Kuwait in mid-January 1991. The value was reduced further when an additional 600 wells were ignited in late February. Solar radiation continued at 55 65% of normal levels during March to August, when 341 oil wells were still burning. Recovery was rapid as the fires in oil fields located directly upwind of Jubail were extinguished, with the solar radiation reaching 95% of the long-term mean in October.

Wadi Al-Batin alluvial fan, which extends northeastward from Hafar Al-Batin in Saudi Arabia to cover parts of Kuwait and southwestern Iraq, represents the largest of several other non-active fans in central and south Arabia. Evidence put forward suggests that, like other comparable deposits of varying age in the Arabian Peninsula, the Al-Batin fan was deposited following downdip breaching of a

Comparisons of catch and effort data from 5 seasons by dhow and industrial fleets showed annual landings to vary around the long-term average of 2100 tons. No direct long-term effects of the Gulf War were identified, but indirect effects have caused substantial changes in Kuwait's shrimp fishery. The effort expenditure in 1993\\/94 reached an all-time high of 17,615 industrial boat-days,

Identification of microbial communities within shoreline sediments and sediment precipitates from the Tigris-Euphrates delta (northern Kuwait) were determined by microscopic\\/nanoscopic studies, and by molecular analysis. Oncolites are syn-diagenetic carbonate precipitates that are surviving in a shallow subtidal to intertidal siliciclastic environment with periodically excessive hydraulic energy, extreme salinity (up to 47 per mil), and high concentrations of organic matter. X-Ray

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of antibiotics in treating upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in primary health centers in Kuwait and investigate the extent to which antibiotic use follows international guidelines. SubjectsandMethods: A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample size of 615 patients selected by using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Of

Evidence on lay beliefs and stigma associated with intellectual disability in an Arab context is almost non-existent. This study examined awareness of intellectual disability, causal and intervention beliefs and social distance in Kuwait. These were compared to a UK sample to examine differences in lay conceptions across cultures. 537 university students in Kuwait and 571 students in the UK completed a web-based survey asking them to respond to a diagnostically unlabelled vignette of a man presenting with symptoms of mild intellectual disability. They rated their agreement with 22 causal items as possible causes for the difficulties depicted in the vignette, the perceived helpfulness of 22 interventions, and four social distance items using a 7-point Likert scale. Only 8% of Kuwait students, yet 33% of UK students identified possible intellectual disability in the vignette. Medium to large differences between the two samples were observed on seven of the causal items, and 10 of the intervention items. Against predictions, social distance did not differ. Causal beliefs mediated the relationship between recognition of intellectual disability and social distance, but their mediating role differed by sample. The findings are discussed in relation to cultural practices and values, and in relation to attribution theory. In view of the apparent positive effect of awareness of the symptoms of intellectual disability on social distance, both directly and through the mediating effects of causal beliefs, promoting increased awareness of intellectual disability and inclusive practices should be a priority, particularly in countries such as Kuwait where it appears to be low. PMID:24029806

This study sought to genetically define the first family diagnosed with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis from Qatar. Onset was in late infancy (3 years), and sequencing in the affected children revealed a novel homozygous c.613C>T change in exon 3 of ceroid-lipofuscinosis, neuronal 5, corresponding to a missense mutation of a conserved amino acid, p.Pro205Ser. The clinical manifestations of the disease in this family largely resemble those of ceroid-lipofuscinosis, neuronal 5 disease, variant late infantile that was first described in Finland and include mental decline, visual deterioration, ataxia, and epileptic seizures. This description of ceroid-lipofuscinosis, neuronal 5 disease in an Arab family adds to the clinical and molecular diversity of the variant late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, which were originally reported in Europe and are increasingly recognized in other populations. PMID:21447811

Decisions concerning the route for the world`s deepest pipeline call for some of the most challenging commercial oceanographic and engineering surveys ever undertaken. Oman Oil Co.`s 1, 170-kilometer pipeline will carry 2 billion cubic feet of gas daily across the Arabian Sea from Oman to the northern coast of India at the Gulf of Kutch. Not only will the project

Summary Coral-dominated communties are rare in Upper Permian reefs. The study of Murghabian rugose and tabulate corals from allochtonous\\u000a carbonates (‘Oman exotics’) of the Hawasina Complex and autochthonous carbonates of the Saih Hatat area\\/Arabian Platform (Oman)\\u000a provides evidence for a significant contribution of rugose corals to the formation of Late Permian reefs.\\u000a \\u000a The corals are described with respect to taxonomy, microfacies

Injection water sources in Kuwait range from brackish water (TDS=4000 mg/l) through seawater (TDS = 30,000 mg/l) to high saline brines (TDS = 200,000 mg/l). Some of these water sources are highly sulfide sour and may require treatment to prevent scaling, corrosion or iron sulfide precipitation. Another particular problem in water injection systems is the uncontrolled growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) which leads to increased corrosion of the process plant. Therefore, evaluation schemes were undertaken to study the relative risks of MIC in a range of Kuwait`s water sources, using a combination of field sampling and laboratory biofouling trials. Recirculating biofouling loops were set up with the appropriate site water, and inoculated with the bacteria from the system so that an active biofilm was set up on small studs. These biofouled studs were treated with proprietary biocide inhibitors under various dose rates in order to select the most appropriate control regime for particular water chemistries and process options.

One response to humanity's unsustainable use of natural resources and consequent degradation, even destruction of the environment, is to establish conservation areas to protect Nature and preserve biodiversity at least in selected regions. In Qatar, the government has shown strong support for this approach, confronted by the environmental consequences of oil and gas extraction and rapid urban development, by designating about one-tenth of the country a conservation area. Located in the west of the peninsula, it comprises the Al Reem Reserve, subsequently declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Several approaches have figured in conservation, currently popular is co-management featuring participation of the local population, which recognises that people's activities often contribute to today's environment, with the promotion of bio-cultural diversity. However, these assumptions may not hold where rapid social and cultural change occurs, as in Qatar. We explore the implications of such change, notably in land use. We detail changes resulting with the move from nomadic to sedentary lifestyles: in land access, which now features tribal-state control, and herding strategies, which now feature migrant labour and depend on imported fodder and water, underwritten by the country's large gas and oil revenues. Current stocking arrangements - animals herded in much smaller areas than previously - are thought responsible for the degradation of natural resources. The place of animals, notably camels, in Qatari life, has also changed greatly, possibly further promoting overstocking. Many local people disagree. What are the implications of such changes for the participatory co-management of conservation areas? Do they imply turning the clock back to centrally managed approaches that seek to control access and local activities? PMID:20964818

Climate on the Arabian Peninsula is strongly affected by two major climate systems; the North Atlantic/Siberian pressure system in winter and the Indian monsoon in summer. Their influence is clearly discernable in the present-day precipitation pattern in Oman. Southern Oman (so-called Dhofar region) receives most of its total annual precipitation during the Indian summer monsoon (June - August), whereas northern Oman receives most precipitation during the northeast monsoon season (December - March) by southeast ward moving Mediterranean frontal system. To date, the late Holocene climatic history of Oman and the entire Arabian Peninsula is poorly understood due to the lack of well dated and highly resolved paleoclimate records. In order to fill this gap of knowledge an actively growing stalagmite (specimen H12) was collected from Hoti Cave located in northern Oman. Total annual rainfall in this area varies between 50 and 255 mm yr-1, with more than 65% of total annual rainfall occurring between December and March. The chronology of stalagmite H12 is based on 24 Th-U ages, which indicate that H12 grew continuously during the last 2650 years. The H12 oxygen isotope record (?18O) is based on 1345 measurements corresponding to a temporal resolution of around 2 years. The comparison of the H12 ?18O record with meteorological data reveals that ?18O values reflect the amount of precipitation. The H12 ?18O time series shows distinct centennial- to decadal-scale changes in the amount of precipitation. The most striking feature of the H12 isotope profile is a series of severe droughts between A.D. 500 and A.D. 1000, the most severe perennial drought is centered at around A.D. 530. During this time South Arabia experienced a series of profound societal changes, such as the collapse of the Himyarite Kingdom which was the dominant state in Arabia. Our stalagmite ?18O time series from Northern Oman seems to support the hypothesis that the collapse of the 1500-year-old South Arabian civilizations and transition from the pre-Islamic to the Islamic era in the 6th and early 7th century A.D. may have been triggered by reoccurring severe droughts.

Climate on the Arabian Peninsula is strongly affected by two major climate systems; the North Atlantic/Siberian pressure system in winter and the Indian monsoon in summer. Their influence is clearly discernable in the present-day precipitation pattern in Oman. Southern Oman (so-called Dhofar region) receives most of its total annual precipitation during the Indian summer monsoon (June - August), whereas northern Oman receives most precipitation during the northeast monsoon season (December - March) by southeast ward moving Mediterranean frontal system. To date, the late Holocene climatic history of Oman and the entire Arabian Peninsula is poorly understood due to the lack of well dated and highly resolved paleoclimate records. In order to fill this gap of knowledge an actively growing stalagmite (specimen H12) was collected from Hoti Cave located in northern Oman. Total annual rainfall in this area varies between 50 and 255 mm yr-1, with more than 65% of total annual rainfall occurring between December and March. The chronology of stalagmite H12 is based on 22 Th-U ages, which indicate that H12 grew continuously during the last 2650 years. The H12 oxygen isotope record (^18O) is based on 1345 measurements corresponding to a temporal resolution of around 2 years. The comparison of the H12 ^18O record with meteorological data reveals that ^18O values reflect the amount of precipitation. The H12 ^18O time series shows distinct centennial- to decadal-scale changes in the amount of precipitation. The most striking feature of the H12 isotope profile is a series of severe droughts between A.D. 500 and A.D. 1000, the most severe perennial drought is centered at around A.D. 530. During this time South Arabia experienced a series of profound societal changes, such as the collapse of the Himyarite Kingdom which was the dominant state in Arabia. Our stalagmite ^18O time series from Northern Oman seems to support the hypothesis that the collapse of the 1500-year-old South Arabian civilizations and transition from the pre-Islamic to the Islamic era in the 6th and early 7th century A.D. may have been triggered by reoccurring severe droughts.

A vast, low gradient bajada is present in the interior of northern Oman. With an area of ˜40,000 km 2 and longitudinal gradients less than 0.3°, this Late Cenozoic bajada is 10 times larger and 10 times flatter than classical bajadas. The tectonic and climatic setting that favored aerially extensive bajada formation is investigated in this paper. A tectonic model is proposed that involves forebulge development associated with subduction of the Arabian plate beneath the Asian plate. The model identifies the southern Gulf of Oman as a foredeep, the Oman Mountains as a subaerial forebulge, the vast bajada as a deposit that blankets the distal forebulge, and the Umm as Samim sabkha as a backbulge basin deposit. The model is supported by an excellent match between modern topography and a theoretical flexural profile of the Omani lithosphere, by the lateral distribution of Pliocene-Pleistocene sediments, by the inferred Late Miocene to Pleistocene age span of the vast bajada, and by evidence of active surface uplift of the Oman Mountains. A second mechanism, post-orogenic exhumation of the pre-existing Oman Mountains, is likely to have accompanied and perhaps slightly preceded forebulge growth, facilitating erosion and transport of sediment across the forebulge. Evidence for a palaeoclimatic model is provided by previous sedimentological studies and stable isotope data of cements in channel gravels as well as proxy data from ODP Leg 117 (Oman Margin). Transport of coarse-grained sediment across the bajada is interpreted to have occurred mainly during the Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene when a humid-wet climate prevailed across Arabia. High water tables and accompanying cementation of bajada gravels may have aided long-distance transport. The evolution of surficial bajada sediments is correlated with changing climatic and hydrological conditions—from seasonal/perennial flows during the Pliocene (and before) to mainly ephemeral and finally flash flood flows (signifying increasing aridity) during the Pleistocene. These data imply that the Indian Ocean monsoon, represented by rainfall frequency and intensity, had a more northerly range in Arabia in the past compared to the present.

This perspective view includes the city of Salalah, the second largest city in Oman. The city is located on the broad, generally bright coastal plain and includes areas of green irrigated crops. This view was generated from a Landsat image draped over a preliminary elevation model produced by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The edges of the dataset are to the upper right, left, and lower left. The Arabian Sea (lower right) is represented by the blue false-colored area. Vertical exaggeration of topography is 3X.

This scene illustrates how topography determines local climate and, in turn, where people live. The Arabian Peninsula is very arid. However, the steep escarpment of the Qara Mountains wrings moisture from the summer monsoons allowing for growth of natural vegetation (green along the mountain fronts and in the canyons), and soil development (dark brown areas), as well as cultural development of the coastal plain. The monsoons also provide moisture for Frankincense trees growing on the desert (north) side of the mountains. In ancient times, incense derived from the sap of the Frankincense tree was the basis for an extremely lucrative trade.

Landsat satellites have provided visible light and infrared images of the Earth continuously since 1972. SRTM topographic data match the 30-meter (99-foot)spatial resolution of most Landsat images and provide a valuable complement for studying the historic and growing Landsat data archive. The Landsat 7 Thematic Mapper image used here was provided to the SRTM project by the United States Geological Survey, Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center,Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Elevation data used in this image was acquired by SRTM aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar(SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Washington, DC.

The ~500km-long Semail nappe of the Sultanate of Oman and United Arab Emirates is the largest and best-preserved ophiolite complex known. It is generally accepted that it formed at a fast-spreading ridge in NeoTethys in the Late Cretaceous and was obducted immediately afterwards. It has a 'MORB-like' sheeted dyke complex and associated 'Geotimes' extrusive sequence, overlain by two further suites of lavas derived by the hydrous melting of variably depleted mantle sources: the 'Lasail' and 'Alley' units. However, there is a lack of consensus as to the geodynamic setting of the Oman spreading ridge: opinions vary as to whether it formed: [1] entirely in a marginal basin above a long-lived, pre-existing subduction zone; [2] entirely by a short-lived 'infant arc' spreading episode immediately following the initiation of intraoceanic subduction; [3] at an open-ocean spreading centre that was subsequently over-thrusted; or [4] entirely in an open-ocean mid-ocean ridge setting. The nature of the Geotimes lavas and sheeted dykes is key to distinguishing the above models. We have compiled a geochemical database - 'OmanDB' - of more than 1100 dyke and lava analyses from the length and breadth of the ophiolite, including more than 200 new analyses of our own. We interrogate this database to address the controversy over the geodynamic setting of the ophiolite. We show that Geotimes lavas and sheeted dykes differ subtly but significantly from N-MORB across the entire ophiolite. Relative to MORB they show more rapid depletion of Cr and increase of SiO2 during fractional crystallisation, and saturate in oxides at much lower TiO2 contents. These differences indicate an enhanced role of cpx and suppression of plag during fractionation of the Geotimes, consistent with a primary water content significantly higher than that of an open-ocean MOR source. This is supported by consistently elevated Th/Nb ratios. These characteristics can be reconciled only with models in which both the initial seafloor spreading phase of the Oman ophiolite as well as subsequent magmatism took place above a pre-existing or nascent subduction system, i.e. [1] and [2] above. We use the OmanDB data further to investigate along-strike variability in the Geotimes sheeted dykes and lavas. Compositional variations correlate well with the ridge axial segmentation pattern established by field studies. Major discontinuities spaced 50-100km apart along-axis are characterised by cross-cutting sheeted dykes and tectonic complexities that have been interpreted as propagating rifts. We find many of the older sheeted dykes and lavas in these regions to be abnormally fractionated, consistent with enhanced cooling at the retreating rift tip; in contrast, individual cross-cutting dykes from the younger propagating rift tips are typically very primitive. Several further smaller-scale peaks in the proportion of highly-fractionated lavas and dykes are also present along axis on a 10-20km scale, and probably correspond to lower-order segmentation of the Oman palaeo-spreading ridge. This shows that ridge axial segmentation of fast-spreading supra-subduction systems occurs in a similar manner to modern open-ocean MOR.

Background There has been a global rise in the use of natural health products (NHPs). Proper regulation of NHPs is pivotal to ensure good quality control standards, enhance consumers' safety and facilitate their integration into modern healthcare systems. There is scarcity of published data on the prevalence of NHPs usage among the general Kuwaiti population. Hence, this study was designed to determine awareness, patterns of use, general attitude and infor